


Harry and Hermione

by BadWolfRose (BadWolf1988)



Series: Eden and Hermione [2]
Category: British Royalty RPF, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Prince Harry of Wales - Fandom
Genre: Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship, Politics, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-28 05:54:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 28,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6317224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadWolf1988/pseuds/BadWolfRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She was the uniquely monikored daughter of the President of the United States. He was a Prince. She was a Catholic. His grandmother was the head of the Church of England. Thrown together by duty and politics, this romance can't have a happy ending...can it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I know absolutely no one. I own nothing but the original characters and the plot.
> 
> Author's Note: Here's me trying something new. I've never written Prince Harry before but a request is a request and I realized that I could tie the requested story into another story that I am currently writing Eden's Crush. Yes, this is the same Hermione. This is what Hermione is going through during the events of the other story. This can be read as a standalone. As I pointed out in Eden's Crush, this is not some odd Harry Potter crossover. This Hermione is an original character. Say the two title characters names together and you will get the joke.

Hermione spent her Saturday morning lounging on the couch in the living room of the house that she shared with her older sister Eden watching television. The previous night, she and Eden had decided to order a pizza, pop in Titanic, and have a few drinks. A few drinks turned into a few more and as usual, Eden passed out cold before the Titanic even hit the iceberg.

So she found herself laying on the couch watching the news, which was, of course, dominated with coverage of the Royal Wedding which had taken place the day before. Being too young to remember the heyday of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, she didn't understand what all the fuss was about. She knew that Eden had had a crush on Prince William when she was in high school but she really didn't understand what all the fuss was about. Everyone couldn't stop raving about how he looked so much like his mother. While that may be true, he also seemed to inherit his father's male pattern baldness and was well on his way to inheriting his father's legacy of early entry into middle age. He just seemed older than he actually was. His mother had always seemed younger than her years, at least from the photographs that Hermione had seen. To her, Prince Harry looked more like his mother's. Younger looking than his years, charitable, hard working, and fun-loving, he just had his mother's sparkle.

Why did she find herself thinking so much about the Royal Family? Well, it had nothing to do with the "Wedding of the Century". It had to do with the fact that Prince Harry of Wales was due to make a brief tour of the United States in two weeks' time and her father had informed her that she would be the one hosting the reception to welcome him to the White House.

Hermione's father was President William James. In the third year of his first term, he was highly rated in public opinion polls and a shoe-in for reelection. It was about time to start campaigning again and she knew her father's idea to have her host the reception for Prince Harry was nothing more than a PR stunt. While a good man, he was still a politician and not above these tricks. The image of the President's young, pretty, blonde daughter with her private school education and practiced pose welcoming the Prince of one of America's strongest ally nation's would make for great press and her father knew it.

Too bad he didn't seem to know how terrified she was at the prospect. She was a junior at Georgetown University where she was studying to get her B.A. in non-profit management. She wanted to join her older sister working for the family's charity, The James Foundation.

The James Foundation provided start-up grants and assistance to start-up charities. They also provided "rescue grants" to charities in danger of closing their doors.

So, Hermione may be the President's daughter but she was still pretty boring with no interests in common with a freaking prince.

She really needed to ask Eden for some advice on what to do but she had a feeling her sister was going to be way too hungover to be of any real help today.

Eden was, to put it mildly, miserable. She hated the spotlight their father's position placed them under and wanted nothing more than to be a private citizen again. She spent her days at work at the family foundation during the day and holed up in her room writing Leland Chapman fanfiction at night. Hermione found this a bit obsessive but Eden refused to discuss the matter. Eden did nothing because she truly loved it...except for her writing. She lived in Georgetown because it was more protected from press intrusion than their hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. She worked at the family foundation because she knew no one would dare sell stories about the President's (their boss) daughter.

Hermione on the hand did charity work because it was truly her passion. She knew she had been given a blessed life and she felt it was her duty to give back to those who hadn't been as blessed. If she could use the celebrity status her father's position had forced upon her, then why not? At least, it was good for something.

Hermione's musings were interrupted by her older sister flying out of her bedroom like a bat out of hell.

Eden was clearly harassed and pulling a blue, lace sundress over her head in a hurry. What the hell was going on?

"Why the hell didn't you wake me up?!" Eden snapped at her as she attempted to zip up the side of her dress. Hermione wondered if she should tell her that her black hair looked as though she had stuck her finger in a light socket. Judging from the deranged look in her sister's eyes, she decided against it.

"And why aren't you dressed? Mother is going to kill us if we are late for lunch." Eden continued and Hermione finally figured out what was going on.

Eden was so hungover that she thought it was Sunday, not Saturday. Both women went to their mother's weekly Sunday Lunch at the White House at noon on Sundays.

She chuckled and clued her older sister in. "Because it's Saturday dumbass, not Sunday."

Eden ceased her frantic attempts to dress and glared at her. Hermione burst into hysterical laughter.

"I hate you." Eden stormed back into her room and slammed the door.

Still laughing and momentarily forgetting her problems, Hermione got up to make her older sister some coffee.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione slowly walked to the Oval Office as though she was a death-row inmate walking to the gas chamber. Her father wanted to discuss the reception for Prince Harry that was to take place the following day.

Hermione was, to put it mildly, freaking the hell out. Just as she had done for every visiting diplomat, politician, and royal, Hermione did her homework. She read up on the Royal Family and Prince Harry himself. She shouldn't have done that. Reading about his childhood and his mother's death and seeing the truly amazing person he had grown up to be...with a few, at times hilarious, hiccups along the way, Hermione had come away with what could only be described as a schoolgirl crush on the prince. She was even starting to understand how her older sister could be as obsessed with Leland Chapman as she was.

And Eden's obsession had seemed to pay off. In what could only be described as freaking fate, Leland Chapman had stumbled upon her sister's fanfiction website dedicated to him...and actually liked the stories...and contacted Eden. Now he was to be Eden's guest at the reception tomorrow. Him and his three children. Their Irish Catholic mother was going to just love that. Wisely, Eden and her father had chosen to withhold the information of Leland's first marriage and three children...one out of wedlock. Tomorrow night was looking to be a James family bitch fest of epic proportions.

Arriving at the open door of the Oval Office, with a Secret Service agent standing on each side, she took a deep breath and stepped inside. Her father was at his desk. His eyes scanning a large stack of papers on its shiny wooden surface.

"Dad?" She got his attention.

President James looked up. "Come in, sweetpea, and close the door." He stood.

Hermione did as she was instructed. "You wanted to see me?"

Her father nodded. "I wanted to discuss the arrival ceremony for tomorrow."

"Yes sir,"

"So," President James rubbed his hands together. "Prince Harry will be arriving on the South Lawn at 2 P.M. by helicopter where I will greet him. He will then be taken to the Rose Garden where you, your mother, sister, and the household staff will be waiting. I will introduce everyone and you will go last. I will introduce you as Prince Harry's hostess for his stay..."

"Wait a minute!" Hermione broke into her father's play-by-play. "Stay? I thought the prince was staying for the reception and leaving?" If she thought she was freaking out before, she was having a full blown nervous breakdown now. She thought she only had to endure Prince Harry's presence for an evening, no longer. "How long will he be staying?"

"Two nights," Her father held up two fingers. "He has requested to tour Andrews Air Force Base and the U.S. Naval Academy on Friday."

"But I'll only be his hostess for the reception right?" She already knew the answer but she prayed for a miracle.

"No, you'll be his hostess for his entire stay," President James eyed her sternly. "I'd like you to stay in the Lincoln Bedroom for the next three nights if you don't mind." It sounded like a request but Hermione took it for the order that it was. "Now may I continue?" The tone of his voice dared her to interrupt again.

"Yes, sir," She nodded.

"As I was saying, I will introduce you as Prince Harry's hostess for his stay," Her father stretched out the word stay. "You will lead him to the Queen's Bedroom where he will be staying. You will meet him back at his room at exactly 5 P.M. and be his escort to the reception. At the end of the evening, you will walk him back to his room. You will be his escort to breakfast and dinner on Friday and you will be there to see him off on Saturday morning. Have I made myself in any way unclear?"

"No, sir," Hermione dejectedly shook her head.

"Then I would go back to your house and pack for a few days. I'll see you at dinner tonight sweetpea." President James walked over and kissed her on the forehead. She knew when she had been dismissed.

Arriving back at the house that she shared with Eden on N. Street, she must have looked like hell because her older sister showed true alarm upon seeing her.

"What's wrong?" Eden rushed over from where she was obsessively cleaning the house for Leland's stay. It looked as though she had actually been scrubbing the living room walls when Hermione had walked in the front door.

"Prince Harry is going to be staying for two days. Dad wants me to stay in the Lincoln Bedroom and be his hostess the entire time." Hermione dropped her purse by the front door and explained in a rather monotone voice.

"What's wrong with that? You've played hostess for dad before." Eden shook her head.

"I have a little bit of a crush on Prince Harry," Hermione pinched her fingers together in front of her face.

Eden laughed. "Still not seeing the problem...you get to spend two days with your crush...most people would kill to do that."

"I have no experience with guys!" Hermione flung her arms in the air in frustration. "I'm the only twenty-one-year-old virgin I know...I'm a Catholic AND an American...I'm a mousy blonde with dull brown eyes and he had a freaking supermodel beautiful mother...he'd never be interested in me..."

"Hermione Grace!" Eden slapped her hands in front of her face to get her to stop rambling.

Hermione was entirely grateful.

"Just be yourself and enjoy spending a few days with a guy a have a thing for. That's all it is. Don't worry about how much experience you have with guys and for God's sake, whatever you do, do NOT sleep with Prince Harry," She laughed as though the thought of this was ridiculous. "And you are not mousy. You are beautiful."

She was slightly calmed by her older sister's words but only slightly.


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione wondered if it was too late to pretend to contract the plague as she sat on the edge of the large wooden bed in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House. Dressed in an emerald green cocktail dress that stopped at her knee and silver flats she was compulsively watching the antique clock that sat on the fireplace mantel in front of the gilded golden mirror. 1:47, her doom was at hand...and yes she knew she was being dramatic...she just didn't care.

She had never been taken with a celebrity before, royal or un-royal. She had been too young to care about the nineties boy-band craze and until just a few weeks ago she thought getting obsessed with someone you had never met was insane.

"Time to go, Herms," Hermione jumped. She hadn't even noticed Eden walk in.

Hermione took a deep breath and stood up. Nervously, she ran her hand down her dress to smooth out any wrinkles. She could do this.

"Small curtsey, 'Your Royal Highness' and then 'Sir," She began repeating over and over again as Eden laughed and they made their way towards the door.

At breakfast this morning her father had explained that while he was not allowed to bow to Prince Harry, a prince of a nation that used to be America's Lord and Master, her and her mother and sisters were expected to, because at the end of the day Great Britain was still one of the c ountry's strongest allies.

She had been reading the protocol sheet that had been sent ahead by the palace all day. It was all rather simple but she was convinced she would screw something up.

"Hermione, you really need to chill out." Eden sounded concerned as they made their way through the White House towards the doors that lead to the Rose Garden. "He's just a person....a person who hit the genetic lottery but still just a person."

"You cried when you saw Leland standing on the front porch this morning!" She accused her sister. "What do you know about being calm around someone you like?!"

"Well, I'm completely fine now," Eden brushed off her outburst...probably because she wanted to forget this morning had ever happened. "And I feel stupid for ever being scared of Leland."

They made it to the Rose Garden and took their place beside their mother in the receiving line just as a helicopter could be heard touching down in the distance.

They waited for what felt like forever until a Secret Service agent opened the doors to the Rose Garden and the telltale sound of footsteps could be heard coming their way. Her father appeared, with Prince Harry at his side, just a few short moments later.

The prince was dressed in a dark blue suit with no tie and collar unbuttoned. As her father went about introducing everyone, she tried to avert her eyes as much as possible. The less she looked, the better.

She was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't notice when her father came to stand directly in front of her.

"Your Royal Highness, I'd like you to meet your hostess for your stay, my daughter, Hermione. Hermione, I'd like to introduce you to meet Prince Henry of Wales" President James made introductions before stepping aside.

"Your Royal Highness," She managed a perfect curtsey, for which she was truly thanking God. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Her voice was also working...so far she was doing good.

"The pleasure is all mine Hermione," He bowed his head slightly. Whether it was out of respect or to block out the sun, Hermione wasn't sure. "Interesting name," He smirked slightly.

Of course, the first thing he noticed was her odd name. She wondered if he was making a connection with the Greek Hermione, the Shakespearian Hermione, or the Harry Potter Hermione.

Crap, she just thought of another reason they could never happen. Their names together were just one big walking Harry Potter joke.

"Yes sir," She blushed. "My mother is a fan of Shakespeare...would you like me to show you where you'll be staying?"

"Please," He nodded.

Silently she leads him through the large mansion towards the Queen's Bedroom.

"You don't have to be scared to talk to me you know." She jumped a mile when he leaned over and whispered that in her ear.

This made him laugh. Her nerves now gone, she glared at him.

"Sorry," He stopped laughing. "You just seemed a bit uptight, love."

Had he just called her "love"? Probably British slang, she reasoned.

"Well, I'm sorry." She let her practiced pose drop and spoke strictly as herself. "It's not every day that I have to drop everything in my life to play hostess for a man from a very different background than me. It can be a little nerve-wracking."

She had just snapped at freaking Prince Harry...her father was going to kill her...why was he smiling at her?

"Why are you smiling at me?" She put her hands on her hips.

"Just good to know that you're a real person and not the robotic Stepford Daughter you were acting like outside." He shrugged. "And thank you for dropping the 'sir', can get right annoying after a while."

They continued walking towards the Queen's Bedroom, but they seemed to be going a little slower this time around.

"I'm sorry," Hermione apologized. "I was just doing what the protocol sheet your palace sent over told me to do. And I didn't mean to snap, just been nervous about meeting you for a few weeks now." She told him honestly.

He smiled at her as they came to a stop outside the entrance to the Queen's Bedroom. "Yeah, they're right sticklers for protocol those palace suits. That made you nervous to meet me?" He sounded genuinely curious.

She couldn't tell him the real reason that she had been nervous and he had just given her the perfect out.

She nodded, "Yeah,"

"Are we good?" He asked and then smirked. "Have you realized that I'm a real person and not a Disney character?"

She had no idea why but that smirk of his had a way of bringing out the smartass in her.

"Trust me, we're good, Prince Charming you are not," She smirked right back. "And just to keep you up to speed, I'll be back to be your escort to dinner...sorry, an election is coming up..."

He nodded and smiled warmly. "Completely understand love...not the first time that I've been used as a campaign prop against my will, won't be the last."

She breathed a sigh of relief. This wasn't going to be nearly as difficult as she had feared it would be. She could even see herself, dare she think it? She could see herself having fun.


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione was once again relaxed as she dressed for the reception that was to take place in a little over an hour. Prince Harry was just a person, albeit a very hot person, and she felt rather silly for having been scared. Eden, on the other hand, was once again losing her shit. The cat was about to be out of the bag in regards to Leland's previous relationships and children and Eden was freaking out. Not that Hermione blamed her, their mother was going to be livid. She would never accept the relationship. A dyed in wool Catholic, divorce was a sin in the eyes of Rosemary James.

"What do I do?" Eden wrung her hands together. With her black hair, tall stature, and deep purple ball gown, she looked like Maleficent's pretty sister.

"You do what your heart tells you to do." Hermione placed her hands on her hips. She was dressed in a pale-blue satin gown and had her long blonde hair pulled back into a loose braid. She, like her older sister, was rather tall so she opted for a pair of pale-blue satin flats. "Not what mom, the public, or the freaking Vatican tells you to do."

Hermione knew that was easier said than done. The James sisters had been trained their entire lives to be exactly what their parents wanted them to be. They had top notch educations from Sacred Heart, one of the most elite Catholic boarding schools in the country. For college, they had gone their separate ways. Eden had graduated from Harvard and Hermione was currently attending Georgetown University. Both women had been trotted out on the campaign trail when they were still in diapers. Both women were the picture of the Good Little Catholic, both were virgins who attended Mass on a weekly basis and did volunteer work with their local parish. They had always blindly done what was asked of them. It wouldn't be easy to go against a lifetime of training.

"You're right," Hermione watched as Eden steeled her nerves for what was to come. "Will you be alright here? I'm going to find Leland. Him and the kids should be through security by now."

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, my nerves are just fine. Go do what you have to do. Find me if you need me."

She watched as her sister left and then sat back on the bed and went about finishing her makeup. A blonde with a fair complexion, she really didn't need a lot and if she wasn't careful could easily make herself look like a circus clown. Maybe it was because of her concentration that she didn't notice the other occupant of the room. He had been there for most of the conversation with her sister, just leaning against the wall and listening.

"You really don't need that," He finally spoke. "You have naturally beautiful skin and you're just mucking it up."

The eyeliner pen that she was holding went flying across the room, landing in the fireplace.

She glared at the smirking ginger. "What are you doing here?" She hissed.

"Well, I decided to prove you wrong and show you that I indeed can be Prince Charming," He shrugged. "Part of that was to pick you up for the reception and not the other way round'."

Okay, that was kind of endearing and she had no real comeback.

"You owe me a new eyeliner pen," She shot back rather weakly. "And you're early. The reception doesn't start for another hour."

"I was bored," He plopped down, uninvited, on the bed beside her. "Is your sister alright?"

She wanted to tell him off for sitting down uninvited and prying into her personal life but she couldn't. Truth be told, she liked talking to him.

"Imagine you have this huge crush on a celebrity and it turns out this celebrity likes you back," She explained. "That's what happened to Eden. She had this crush on a reality TV star and by a twist of fate, they got in contact and are now pretty much dating. The problem is Leland comes from a background that my mother is not going to approve of. He's not a Catholic, he's divorced, and he has three children...one of them born out of wedlock. He's also a bounty hunter with long hair and tattoos covering most of his body."

"Is he a nice guy?" Harry asked simply. "Is he good to your sister?"

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, he's a real nice guy and he's very good to my sister and a real good father to his kids."

"Then why would your mother care about all of the other stuff?"

This question surprised her considering who it was who was doing the asking.

"My mother is old fashioned. Change isn't something she is comfortable with and she was raised to strictly follow Catholic Dogma. You should understand. I mean you couldn't marry a Catholic or a divorcee." She voiced her confusion.

Harry laughed. "That used to be true and in some ways still is, I mean William wouldn't have been allowed to marry a Catholic or a divorcee because he's in line for the throne. The rest of us doesn't really matter anymore...thanks to my parents...at least, all that drama was good for something in the end." She didn't know how to respond to that and was saved having to when he continued speaking. "Like say, I wanted to marry you, my gran would completely allow it. I would just have to remove myself from the line of succession but I'm so far down at this point it doesn't matter. Besides the Catholic thing, you are completely acceptable. From a good family, good education, and from what I hear...chaste."

Did he just subtly imply that they had a chance of being together? And did he just seriously make mention of her virginity? The nerve!

"Whoa! From what you hear? Why the hell do you know anything about my virginity?" Her makeup mirror went crashing to the floor in her outrage and a Royal Protection Officer and Secret Service agent came rushing in.

Hermione blushed and as Harry rushed to assure the men that everything was alright. Hermione was still blushing once they were alone again.

"Eden's not the only one with a celebrity crush and you'd be surprised what the press writes about you," Harry spoke lowly.

Whatever Hermione had been expecting, that had not been it.

"Wait, you have a crush on me?" She asked in awe. "I have a crush on you." Had she really just said that out loud?

Harry looked up and smiled at her words. He started leaning in closer and words completely failed her. She had not expected this, not in a million years. When his lips were just a hair's breath away from hers, he stopped. Hermione was confused for a moment until she realized what he was doing. He was giving her a choice. It wasn't a hard to choice to make. Leaning the remaining distance, Hermione sealed their lips together.

It wasn't a passionate kiss by any means, just a gentle touching of lips. It was tentative and innocent and truthful. Everything a first kiss should be.

When they parted, there was no nervousness and no awkwardness between them. When he reached out and laced their fingers together she didn't hesitate to let him.

"So, do you want to be my real date to the reception tonight?" He asked her with a goofy grin on his face. Oh yeah, she stuck by her previous assessment...he was the better-looking brother.

"Of course, I would," She answered without hesitation.

She was telling the truth, she really did want to be his date but she also wanted to know where this was going, if anywhere. She just didn't want to spoil the mood with any heavy conversation.

When he leaned forward and kissed her again, she forgot everything she was worried about.


	5. Chapter 5

The reception went off without a hitch. Harry had escorted her to the event, had sat beside her at dinner, and twirled her on the dance floor more times than mere politeness required. From the looks her mother kept shooting her, her closeness with the prince did not go unnoticed. She didn't really care...her mother was in a bad mood from the moment she laid eyes on Leland and his two sons.

Harry, on the other hand, had been very friendly with Leland and his two young sons. Hermione had been impressed with his natural way with children.

At the end of the night, Harry had surprised her once again. He had been very proper with her all evening. There had been no handholding, kissing, or affectionate touching of any kind. When the time came for them to exit the reception, he slipped his arm around her waist as they passed directly by the Washington Press Corps. He had to have known that that photograph would be all over the morning papers.

They didn't say a word as they walked, and Harry didn't remove his arm from around her waist. He also wasn't leading her in the direction of the guest bedrooms. He was leading her in the direction of the Rose Garden.

She liked his way of thinking. Completely protected from prying eyes by stone walls and shrubs and shrouded in the inky black darkness of the night, it offered total privacy. When they finally arrived, he led her over to a stone bench and sat her down.

She was the first to speak. "You do know what you just did right?" She asked as she shivered. April in Washington D.C. could still get a bit cold at night and her dress was sleeveless.

He laughed as he shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket and draped it around her shoulders. "I'm my mother's son, I know how to work the press. I was making my intentions clear...to the palace and to the press."

"Your intentions?" He was way too good at confusing her.

"My intentions for you and this relationship," He answered her as though it were the simplest thing in the world.

"How about you make your intentions clear to me?" She demanded. "Because I am totally clueless right not."

He rubbed his hands together and turned to face her a bit better. "I've fancied you since I watched your father's inauguration with my grandmother." He began. "So much so, that my attraction to you isn't a big secret within my family. We may be royalty but we're still a family and Wills has been taking the mickey out of me about it for three years. I'm pretty sure my grandmother asked me to go on this tour because it meant that I would get to meet you."

He paused as though to give her time to absorb the information he was laying on her. She was lost for words. She didn't speak because she wanted to hear what else he had to say.

Now he looked nervous but he continued anyway. "I have a duty to my family and to my position. I can't stay the bad boy prince, I'm getting too old. My family expects me to settle down soon and with Wills married, the pressure's been turned up. I really had no one else in mind for the job...and being my wife would be a full-time job...and I guess I was hoping that it would be a role that you would want to fill someday...in the not-so-distant future. I was telling the palace and the press that I was serious about you. I don't let myself get photographed with a woman unless she means something to me."

Holy shit...she had lost the ability to breathe. She had expected him to say that he wanted her to be his girlfriend. That is what she had been prepared for. But no, he pretty much said that he wanted her to be his wife someday. He had been attracted to her far longer than she had been attracted to him. What did she do with her newfound knowledge? Could she fit in his world? She may have grown up in posh surroundings but she knew almost nothing about being a royal. She was also still so young. She hadn't even finished college yet. She'd never held a proper job.

"I can literally hear the gears turning in your mind love," He reached out and pushed a piece of hair that had escaped her braid back behind her ear. "Talk to me please,"

Hermione, as was her habit, let everything come spilling out of her in a rush. "I haven't even finished school yet, I've never really dated, and I'm not sure how I would fit in your world and I read about people before they visit my father and I've read about your family. I read what happened to your mother when she wasn't what your family wanted her to be."

Harry sighed. "Don't believe everything you read. My mum created a lot of her own problems. There was fault on all sides in that one, trust me, I lived it. And you would have something my papa wasn't committed enough to offer my mum...my support and protection."

She felt bad for bringing up his past but she was still worried. "What about everything else?"

"I'm not saying we rush down the aisle right now," He shook his head. "I'd like to spend more time with you, develop our feelings for each other. I'm thinking about marriage a year or two down the line and I wouldn't care if you wanted to finish your education after we were married. What are you studying?"

"Non-profit management," She replied on auto-pilot, she was still reeling. "I want to work with charities,"

"Which would be perfect for anyone joining the Firm, half the job is supporting charities." At her odd look, he clarified, "The Firm is my great-great grandfather's nickname for the family."

She nodded but still didn't speak for a moment. She really thought over the situation. She realized that she only had one question.

"If your family wasn't pressuring you to settle down, would you still be here with me right now?" She asked.

He smiled. "Of course, I would, my attraction to you has nothing to do with my family. I'm asking you to be with me Harry, not Prince Harry, I just wanted you to be aware of what being with me would lead to."

She nodded and smiled. "I most definitely want to be with you."

He leaned forward and captured her lips...and this time, the kiss was passionate.

When they pulled apart, Harry leaned his forehead against hers. "You won't regret this beautiful, I promise."

"I know," She really, truly believed him.

Their perfect moment was interrupted when Eden came storming into the garden.

"I can't stand that woman!" Her older sister obviously hadn't noticed anyone else in the garden.

"Everything okay?" Hermione got her attention.

Upon noticing her sister and Harry, Eden froze.

"I'm sorry," She said sheepishly. "I didn't know you two were out here. I just got in a bit of a disagreement with mother."

"By disagreement you mean mother had a full-blown bitch fit over Leland?" Hermione snorted and she heard Harry chuckle beside her.

"Pretty much," Eden kicked the grass. "The minute Leland took the boys back to our place, she started in."

Hermione nodded and stood. "Well, why don't you go and join them? I'm going to go take some of the heat off of you."

"How are you going to do that?" Eden asked skeptically.

"I'm going to go and tell her that I'm dating Prince Harry,"

Harry burst out laughing and Eden's jaw very nearly hit the ground.


	6. Chapter 6

On second thought, this had been a very bad idea. As Rosemary James turned an icy glare on her youngest daughter, Hermione wished she could melt into the floor and disappear.

"You and your sister want a lot of time in purgatory don't you?" Were the first words out of her mother's mouth. "How could the two of you do this to your father and me?"

Hermione couldn't help it, she rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure God hates when people fall in love," She would analyze her use of the word love at a later time. "And what exactly am I doing to you and dad? What is Eden doing?" She challenged. "We are pretty much handing him the next election! That is what we are doing! One daughter in love with a devoted single father who spends his days helping to reform criminals and get them off the streets...all without the use of firearms. The other dating, with the intention of marrying, a prince! Freaking Princess Diana's son! I'm sure voters are just going to hate that!"

She watched as her mother seemed to back down. Had she just won an argument with Rosemary James? Had that ever happened before?

"Fine," Her mother said through gritted teeth. "I can see your reasoning." No, she could see the votes. "But let me remind you, and I want you to tell your sister this as well, that you represent not only this family but this entire country. Both of your relationships will be in the public eye simply because of who your partners are. Your father and I expect you to behave in a way that reflects positively on the way you were raised."

"Got it, mother," Hermione smirked. "Make you look good."

With that parting shot, she ended the conversation and exited the family quarters of the White House. Making her way back to the first floor, she noticed that it was after eleven as she passed an old grandfather clock. She had left Harry in the Rose Garden to go and confront her mother at a little after nine. She had been arguing with her mother for almost two hours. When she arrived back in the Lincoln Bedroom she was surprised to find a fire lit in the fireplace. She didn't even know the fireplace still worked. A note was laying on her bed.

Picking it up she read:

Mione,

Eden called your mom the "Ice Queen" so I figured you might be a bit chilly. Stay warm beautiful.

Love,

H

She smiled and held the note to her chest for a moment like a silly teenage girl. All thoughts of her mother melted away. She went to bed that night with a smile on her face.

Not that she stayed asleep for long. Two hours later she was awoken by someone gently shaking her. Slowly opening her eyes, she expected to find her mother, coming to pretend to make up. She did not expect to find Harry...in his pajamas.

Prince Harry of Wales was sitting on the bed next to her right hip, shaking her awake. He might be her boyfriend but the sight of him in black pajama pants and white t-shirt was still a bit odd.

"What?" She sat up a little on her elbows.

"I'm staying until next Monday," He told her. "When you went to talk to you mum, I phoned my papa and asked to stay for a few more days. I have no upcoming engagements until next Tuesday so he agreed to extend my stay."

Sleep forgotten and forgetting that she was only wearing an oversized t-shirt with the Rugrats on it to bed she jumped up and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tight.

After a moment, she began to notice her state of undress. She should have felt embarrassed but she wasn't. She was comfortable in his presence. She trusted him. She didn't want him to leave.

"Stay with me?" She asked softly. "I mean, just to sleep. I don't want you to go."

She held her breath as she waited for his response.

"Move over a bit love," He said, his voice had taken on a huskier tone.

She moved over to give him room to join her. He climbed in next to her and lay on his back. Once he was comfortable, he reached out for her. Cuddling closer, she lay on his chest as he wrapped his arm around her.

Having him this close, in the intimacy of the moment, Hermione felt safe. Safe enough to speak what was on her mind.

"I'm scared, Harry," She whispered into the darkness.

She felt his arm tighten around her. "Of what?"

"Of how I feel about you, of how fast this is moving. I'm scared I won't be good enough. I've read about your mother. The whole world thought she was a saint and that same world is in love with your new sister-in-law. I'm scared I won't live up." She explained as she drew imaginary circles on his cotton cover chest with her fingers.

Sleep having once again been forgotten, Harry sat up, pushing her gently to the side. Getting out of bed, he went to the fireplace and added firewood to the dying embers. He stoked the fire until it was once again roaring before he returned to the bed. Hermione thought she had done something wrong but his next words proved her wrong.

"I'm not looking for a princess, I'm looking for a wife," He said rather bluntly. "I think you would be just as good with the public as my mother was or Kate is but I could really care less how good or bad you are. I want you. End of story."

Hermione began to feel stupid for her fears. He wasn't looking for perfect, which was good, because perfect she was not.

"And what does it matter how fast this is moving? My grandmother fell in love with my grandfather the first time she met him when she was thirteen. You shouldn't be scared to fall for me because I've already fallen for you. You can trust me. I've seen what can happen when a man takes a beautiful, independent woman and doesn't treat her the way that she deserves to be treated. I'm not my father and I don't want you to become my mother. I'm always going to be here to catch you when you fall." He told her passionately.

Hermione really didn't want to cry, she really didn't, but his words were too much and the floodgates opened. She curled back into his arms as he leaned back in bed. He rubbed her back until her sobs subsided enough for her to speak.

In the flickering firelight, she made her confession. "I've already fallen for you."


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione was awoken much earlier than she would have preferred by Harry's Royal Protection officer coming in to wake him at 6:30. Harry didn't show any signs of life until the officer had retreated from the room.

"Good morning beautiful," He kissed her forehead and stretched out underneath her.

"Would be a much better morning if we could sleep a little later," Hermione grumbled as she pushed herself out of bed. Making her way to her suitcase, she dug around until she found a pair of black slacks and a green blouse.

"So, you're not a morning person and your favorite color is emerald green," Harry said cheekily from the bed where he was laying with his hands folded behind his head watching her.

She turned and glared at him. "How do you know what my favorite color is?"

He nodded towards the blouse that she was holding in her hands. "That's the second piece of emerald green clothing you've worn in two days...now stop being a grump and come here." He reached out his hand.

Setting her clothes down on the end of the bed, she took his hand and let him pull her back into bed to lay on his chest.

"We don't have time for this. Breakfast is at eight." She mumbled into his chest even while she snuggled closer.

"Are you coming along on the tour today?" He asked as he rubbed his hand up and down her back.

"No," Hermione replied sadly. "I never go along on those things,"

"Will you be here waiting when I get back?"

"With open arms," God, that was cheesy, but it was also true. She wasn't looking forward to the stuffy dinner that awaited them upon his return however and she suddenly had an idea. "Harry, do you have to stay here at the White House for your entire stay?"

"No, I can stay wherever I like so long as I have my Royal Protection Officer with me...why?" He stopped rubbing her back and looked down at her.

"I was thinking after dinner tonight, you might want to come and stay with Eden and me at our place?" She was nervous now. "I mean Leland and his three kids are there and you'd have to share my room with me, I'd completely understand if you want to stay here. I just thought you might want to spend a few days around normal people."

He tilted her head up and planted a kiss on her lips. "I'd love to,"

Her parents had not been pleased by Harry's decision to move to the house on N. Street. But as she sat in her living room with Harry, her sister, Leland, and Leland's too cute for words children eating Chinese food and talking, Hermione found that for the first time in her life, she didn't give a damn what her parents thought. She was happy. Eden was happy. And if she could be promised more evenings like this in the future, she would happily tell her parents to kiss off.

Harry and Leland were discussing kickboxing and Eden was holding Leland's six-month-old daughter Leiah...who was cooing and talking away.

"Okay, stop hogging the baby." Hermione reached out her arms. "My turn to hold her. Give me, give me, give me."

Once the little girl was settled in her arms, Hermione started gently running her fingertips along her stomach to make her giggle. After a few minutes, the sound of the men's conversation died away and she looked up. She found both men had left the room.

She turned to look at Eden. "Where did Harry and Leland go?"

Eden was currently helping Leland's five-year-old son, Cobie, into his Batman pajamas. "They went into the kitchen a few minutes ago."

Carefully standing with Leiah in her arms, she went in search of Harry and Leland as the sound of Cobie pretending to be Batman reached her ears. When she got close to the kitchen, she heard their voices. Instinctively, she stopped and listened.

"You seemed a bit freaked out when you saw Hermione holding my kid," She heard Leland say. "What gives man?"

Harry had been freaked out? She looked down at the child in her arms. Leiah was wide awake and silently watching her with big brown eyes.

"I know this is going to sound mad but when I saw her with Leiah," She heard Harry say and stop midsentence.

"You couldn't help but think of Hermione swollen with your child?" Leland finished.

"Yeah," Was Harry's only reply.

Hermione felt her heart swell at that simple word. He wanted to have children with her. Intellectually she knew that children came along with marriage in his world but to hear him say that he actually wanted her to have his children made her feelings for him deepen just a little bit more.

"Yeah, I feel that way about Eden." Well, that was a piece of information that she needed to share with her sister. "And I'm pretty sure it means you love the girl...two days...you work fast man."

She heard Harry laugh. Was the idea of loving her that funny? She was hurt...but only until Harry spoke again.

"I do...love her I mean."

Hermione had to force herself to continue breathing. She was holding an infant, an infant that was more than likely going to be her niece in the very near future, she couldn't pass out.

"Does she know?" She heard Leland ask.

Well, she does now!

"Maybe, last night I told her that I'd fallen for her...I'm not sure if she understood what I meant."

She most certainly had NOT understood.

"I don't want to run her off," Harry continued. "Being with me comes with enough pressure as it is and as you said, mate, it's only been two days...she probably wouldn't believe me."

She 100% believed him...because she loved him too. She decided the men had revealed too many of their secrets already so she made a point of loudly talking to Leiah as she entered the kitchen to alert them of her presence.

"Was wondering where you two got off to," She smiled at them as she entered the kitchen. When Leiah started reaching for the refrigerator, Hermione assumed she wanted one of her bottles that were kept in there.

"Is it going to make me seem like a bad father if I said that I was running away from the noise of my children?" Leland asked with a puppy dog look on his face. "You and Eden don't live with them, you still think it's cute...I think it's a nightly nightmare."

This made Hermione laugh as she balanced Leiah on her hip and heated a baby bottle in the microwave. "No, you're not a bad father."

"Do you want me to do that?" Leland nodded at the microwave. "She is my daughter."

Hermione shook her head. "Nope, as you said, they're still cute to me. I've got this. Plus, I think Eden may need your help. As I was leaving the living room Cobie was jumping off of furniture and declaring that he was Batman."

Harry started laughing at that.

"Not again," Leland huffed as he left the kitchen.

As the microwave dinged, she turned to Harry. "Could you hold her for a second?" She asked.

Harry reached out and took the little girl from her arms. She watched as he cradled her while she checked the temperature of the bottle.

"You're good with babies," She told him as she took Leiah back. Grabbing the bottle, she made her way into the quiet of her bedroom and the rocking chair there to feed her.

"My mum loved kids, she always made sure we were around them," Harry replied. "You're pretty good yourself."

As Hermione settled into the chair and offered Leiah her bottle, she smiled. "I love kids. Meeting all the kids and holding all the babies is my favorite part of going on the campaign trail with my dad." She told him in a whisper as Leiah was starting to drift off. "I could never understand why my parents stopped at two. When I have kids, I want a whole house full."

She watched him to gauge his reaction. He didn't seem phased by her desire for a large family.

"You'll be a great mum," He told her as he reached a hand out to gently rub the top of Leiah's head. "My mum had a lot of problems, but she was a great mother. She always told me and Wills to marry for love and to make sure that any woman we marry was mother material. She didn't want her grandkids raised by royal nurses."

Harry didn't know it but he had just given her the greatest compliment anyone could have ever given her. Her mother wasn't the picture of maternal love. She was the wife of a politician first and foremost. To her, her children were a prop. They were to be seen and not heard. Trotted out by the nannies when they would make her or their father look good in the press. She had always sworn that when it was her turn to be a mother, she would do things differently.

"She's sleeping, love," Harry reached down and picked the sleeping child up out of her arms. Carrying her down the hall to Eden's bedroom, he placed her in her portable crib to sleep.

When he returned to her side, Hermione was silently rocking in the rocking chair and starring out the window where rain had begun to fall.

"What are you thinking about beautiful?" He crouched down in front of her.

She didn't know how to completely verbalize what she was thinking. For the first time in forever, she knew exactly where her life was going. She knew that Harry was her future. A part of her was scared that she had fallen in love too quickly but she couldn't deny that she was in fact in love. She had spent most of the day that Harry was off touring military bases with her father doing a lot of thinking. She thought about her life and what she wanted to do with it. She thought about the biography of Princess Diana that she had read prior to Harry's arrival. She had spent her entire life wanting to do humanitarian work. Her trust fund was large enough that she never really had to work if she didn't want to and the only reason she had gone to college was to boost the family image. She would have happily stayed working, free of charge, for charities around the country. Her passions were working with children and the homeless. Her talents and her passions would be well-served as a member of the Royal Family. The only thing she did NOT want was Harry to renounce his place in the line of succession. The only way to avoid that happening was for her to convert to the Anglican faith prior to marriage. For someone that had been raised so deeply within the Catholic faith, she found that this was not at all unappealing to her. The Anglican Church was far more relaxed than the Catholic Church and they believed a lot of the same things. Her mother would be pissed, but this was her life, her choice.

Hermione decided that she would be the one to take the leap of faith this time and knowing what she knew, it wasn't a very big leap to take.

"I love you, Harry," She turned and looked him directly in the eyes.

She had never seen him smile so big. Grabbing her hand, he yanked her out of the chair and into his arms. He twirled her around.

"I love you too sweetheart," He said as he placed her back on her feet. "Not that I'm complaining, because I'm not, but what made you tell me?"

She grabbed his hand and pulled him to sit on the end of the bed with her.

"I've done a lot of thinking today," She explained as she played with his fingers. "I've thought about what I want and who I want to be."

"And?" He gently pressed her.

"And I want to be a lot of things," She shrugged her shoulders. "I want to be a wife and a mother...and I mean I really want to be a wife and mother. I don't want a marriage and children that are just for show. I want a life partner. I want to guide my children into being productive and useful members of society. I want to make a career out of humanitarian work. A life with you would allow me a chance to have all of that. I also heard you and Leland in the kitchen tonight..."

His eyes widened slightly. "So you heard...?" He trailed off.

"Heard that you imagine me swollen with your child? That you love me as much as I love you?" Hermione smiled. "Yeah, I heard...and I want the same things...and I really don't want to wait any longer than I have to."

"What about school?" He questioned but he had a huge grin on his face. "I thought you wanted to finish?"

"Why waste my time studying when I could be doing?" She countered. "I could do way more good as your wife than I could in college or working with my family's foundation." She reasoned.

He pulled her in for a quick kiss and then rested his head against hers. "So, are you ready for a crash course in being royal? It will take a little while to introduce you to my family and the public. Are you up for it?"

"Do I get to be with you at the end of it all?" Hermione smirked.

"Of course," Harry nodded.

"Than bring it," Hermione laughed as she fell back on the bed into his arms.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I have no idea how long British Army officers are deployed. I live in Massachusetts and we are currently getting winter winds so bad that internet service is spotty at best (and we are being warned that going outside for too long could kill us...got to love New England) so Google and I are not friends at the moment. The timeframe I'm using is the length of deployment for the United States Marines (well, some U.S. Marines, not all.). My husband served with the Marines for four years and I am from a family of Marines so I'm going with what I know.
> 
> Author's Note II: As I told everyone who is reading my other story Eden's Crush, both stories are interconnected. Just like Leland is appearing in this story, Harry appears in that story. Things that are just mentioned in passing, like say the Smithsonian trip, Harry's departure back to Great Britain, and Beth selling out everyone to the press is actually going to be depicted in Eden's Crush, just like readers of Eden's Crush can see things depicted here, like Harry and Leland's kitchen conversation, that I will not be including in that story. I'm trying something new...go with me on this one. If you are reading Eden's Crush...I'm heading over to work on it just as soon as I post this chapter. I'm hoping to update all of my stories (except Shattered Slipper, Twisted Fairy Tale which is on hiatus for the time being) by the end of the weekend.

The rest of that first weekend had flown by in the blink of an eye, at least, for Hermione and Harry. The press was under the impression that Harry was staying at the White House, this allowed the new couple freedom to roam about Washington, D.C. un-harassed by the press.

While the international press was staking out the White House, Prince Harry was wandering around the Smithsonian with his arm around his girlfriend's waist and a five-year-old on his back who was begging to be knighted. With Eden and Leland and all of the children in tow, it had been an awesome weekend.

When the time had come to part ways, Hermione couldn't keep the tears at bay. Against the advice of both White House and Buckingham Palace advisors, Hermione had gone to Washington Dulles International Airport to see Harry off back to Great Britain. As she watched his plane taxi off the runway, she felt a great sadness descend upon her. Harry would be reporting back to the Army soon for his final tour of duty. He would be away for six months. She wasn't likely to see him again until early November. She wasn't sure how she was going to handle the separation but she knew that separation was something she was going to have to learn how to deal with if she was going to be with Harry.

It hadn't been easy but she had managed the separation from Harry. He called every day and it wasn't unusual for a dozen roses to show up on her doorstep...and her doorstep had moved. When Leland had returned to Hawaii, Eden had made the drastic decision to go with him. Two months after that she was engaged. A month later, with media pressure about her relationship with Harry heating up, Hermione had dropped out of Georgetown University and followed her.

Leland had made the decision to finally break with his father and stepmother in the bail bonds business after his stepmother, Beth, was caught leaking stories about him and Eden and Hermione and Harry to the press. He opened his own bail bond company in Kona, Hawaii. His brothers, Duane Lee and Wesley, and his sister Lyssa had followed him to the new company. Without his stepmother to run the show, Leland needed someone organized and task oriented running the business end of the company and that was where Eden came in. While Leland and Eden went to work, Hermione stayed home and looked after the kids. Dakota and Cobie were in school for six hours every day so Hermione spent her mornings looking after little Leiah and researching the history of the family that she was hoping to join. After reading biographies of both of Harry's parents, she had come to the conclusion that he and William were the products of two, very loving, but very dysfunctional people. She also understood what her role was to be. The prospect was terrifying but she was up for the challenge if it meant that she got to spend the rest of her life with Harry.

Speaking of Harry, his last phone call had left her terrified. She had been invited to spend Christmas at Sandringham Estate...with the entire Royal Family. She knew that this was actually a good thing. She wouldn't have been asked if she wasn't in consideration to be Harry's wife. Outsiders were usually barred from attending. She knew this was the inevitable, 'meet the family part' of the relationship process. She was still terrified. She had developed a deep and healthy respect for Queen Elizabeth II in the months that she had been involved with Harry. Hermione had always thought the old woman very stern and serious and had been surprised to find that Harry and William both had a very close relationship with the woman that they affectionately called 'gran' or 'granny'. She just prayed that the old woman felt she was worthy of her grandson.

It was early September and she was sitting on the back porch of Leland and Eden's house in Hawaii. The dogs were taking turns bringing her a tennis ball to throw into the pool for them to fetch and Leiah was in her playpen, giggling as she watched. Leiah had grown in the last few months. She was now a toddler. She was walking, barely, and getting into everything. You couldn't look away from her for a second.

"Are you ladies enjoying yourselves this morning?"

She knew that voice. It couldn't be. He wasn't expected home for another month at least...and home was in Great Britain, not Nowhere, Hawaii. Looking up from where she had been sitting and talking to Leiah, she came face-to-face with Harry. Dressed in his Army fatigues, with a slight growth of stubble and looking tired, he had a smile on his face as he leaned in the doorway watching them.

Jumping up, she ran into his arms. "You weren't supposed to be discharged until November 1st, what happened?"

He laughed as he caught her in his arms. "I lied, that's what happened...I was always going to be discharged September 1st."

"Why would you lie?" She pulled back confused.

"Because I wanted to surprise you," He smiled.

That was very sweet but it still didn't explain everything. "If you were just trying to surprise me, why does the press think you're being discharged November 1st?"

He leaned down and stole the first kiss that they had shared in months. "Because," He smirked. "I want them to think I'm still in the Army so I can spend the next two months here with you,"

He couldn't be serious. She couldn't be that lucky. Two whole uninterrupted months together in paradise?

"Are you serious? Two whole months?" She was pretty sure she had just squealed but she didn't care.

"Two whole months beautiful, I even rented us our own beach house." He kissed her again.

Now there was a problem. She looked after the kids during the week and on some weekends. She couldn't just up and leave her sister and future-brother-in-law without any form of childcare. On top of work, they were also planning a wedding, which was to take place on October 21st.

"We," He stressed the word. "are still going to look after the kids during the week. But weeknights and weekends are all ours." He kissed her lips.

"Leland and Eden knew about this?" She eyed him suspiciously.

He smirked at her in that annoying way of his that she had missed so much. "Well, Leland needed another groomsman and they needed time to test out a few babysitters for the kids."

Babysitters? She was the babysitter.

"Okay Captain Confusing, what are you talking about? Why do they need to test out babysitters?" She backed away

"Because I'm hoping that by the New Year they're current babysitter will be living in London with me," He whispered in her ear. If he didn't stop giving her these mini heart attacks she was going to die young.

They were so going to discuss that comment later but Leiah chose that moment to make herself heard. She began fussing to be held. Cuddles were happening right in front of her and she wanted in on the action.

Hermione went and picked her up and the sweet little girl immediately began reaching for Harry. It appeared that she remembered him...the times that she had allowed Harry to talk to the kids over the phone had probably helped familiarize the toddler with his voice as well.

Smiling, Harry reached out and took the little girl into his arms. Once she was where she wanted to be, she began cuddling into his chest. Hermione couldn't help but smile. The image in front of her was just too cute.

Walking over to the porch swing, Harry took a seat with Leiah in his arms. Hermione joined them. While Harry cuddled Leiah with one arm, Hermione cuddled up to his chest as he swung them. It wasn't long before Leiah and Hermione began to drift off.

Right before sleep claimed her, Hermione felt Harry place a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I missed you," She heard him whisper as the Sandman did his job and she drifted off to the land of dreams.


	9. Chapter 9

"Oh my God, this is too cute,"

Hermione awoke to the sound of hushed voices and what sounded a lot like a camera clicking on a cell phone.

"Mom, Aunt Hermione will kill you if she catches you." She heard Dakota whisper.

She decided now would be a good time to open her eyes. Sure enough, her older sister was standing over her, Harry, and Leiah taking pictures on her smartphone.

Harry's Royal Protection Officer, who was always waiting in the wings, suddenly appeared at Eden's side.

"Ma'am, I'm going to need you to delete those pictures that feature the prince." He ordered sternly.

"Leave her alone Dean." Harry's voice spoke up sleepily. "She's the President's daughter and more than likely my future sister-in-law, she's not going to sell the bloody pictures."

Leiah was still asleep in his arms so he was careful as he sat up a little straighter.

Once Hermione was fully awake she began to panic. How long had they been asleep? If Dakota was home it had to be after two in the afternoon. Leiah should have been awake and fed and changed hours ago.

Upon seeing her alarm, Eden rushed to assure her. "The school had a water mane break and had to send the kids home early. They called me at work. It's only 10:30."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as she stood up and stretched.

"Bleeding Christ," She heard Harry mutter to himself...or so he thought.

Chancing a glance out of the corner of her eye, she noticed where his eyes were focused. He was staring directly at her backside, which was encased in a pair of black yoga pants.

"Wow, I'm ten and that's obvious Uncle Harry," Dakota smirked.

Had that little booger really just said that? And had he really just called Harry 'Uncle Harry'? Well, things just got awkward. Thank you very much Dakota.

Eden quickly, but gently, grabbed the sleeping Leiah and ushered the kids inside...leaving them alone...with the awkwardness.

Hermione laughed nervously. "I'm sorry about the 'Uncle Harry' thing," She tucked a piece of her loose blonde hair behind her ear.

Harry reached out a hand and pulled her to sit down on his lap on the swing. "Why? Eden and Leland are getting married. Eden's adopting the kids." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "And we're engaged to be engaged...so doesn't that kind of, sort of, in a mad way make me the kids uncle already?"

She laughed again...simply because she didn't have the faintest clue what to say.

They had discussed marriage many times and Hermione knew that Harry was helping her to prepare for royal life and acceptance by his family. While he had been deployed with the British Army he routinely sent her books and even a few DVD's to help her better understand the history of his family. Christmas at Sandringham was another step in these preparations. But even with all of this she still wasn't sure what exactly they were.

If you listened to the press, whom for a while at least, were aided by Leland's deranged stepmother, she was Harry's soulmate. Oh, the press was having a grand old time. 'Harry and Hermione' was splashed across magazine covers, newspaper front pages, social media, and blogs and websites all across the globe. They were having just as much fun with the Harry Potter inspired nickname as they did with 'Shy Di' in the early eighties or 'Waity Katie' just a few short years ago. If their "anonymous sources" were to be believed, Hermione and Harry had known one another for years. Also, she had already met the entire Royal Family, including the Queen and Price Phillip. She was being secretly groomed to become a Duchess before the engagement announcement was made. The Daily Mail was even reporting that the Queen had "set aside" the Dukedom of Windsor for Harry, to be bestowed upon him following their marriage...which was apparently happening next summer in St. Paul's Cathedral.

None of this was true...obviously...not even the Dukedom. The Dukedom of Windsor was still stained with the scandal and family shame of the Abdication of Edward VIII. The Queen wouldn't bestow that title on one of her favorite grandchildren. Besides, Harry had confided in her that he wouldn't be becoming a Duke for a very long time.

The previous month, Harry had briefly returned to London for a few days to attend an important family engagement. While there, he had met privately with his grandmother. With how serious their relationship appeared to be, the Queen felt it was time to discuss Harry's future plans after his discharge from the Army. She also felt it was time to choose Harry's future title and the titles of his future wife and children.

The Queen gave him two options.

He could be given the Dukedom of Sussex after his marriage. His wife would be a Duchess and his children princes and princesses.

Or,

He could keep the title Prince Henry of Wales after his marriage and wait for the Dukedom of York, the Dukedom historically reserved for the second son of the monarch, and with his family's history of longevity he could be waiting awhile. If Hermione were to marry Harry she would become Princess Henry of Wales. While normally their children would be lords and ladies under this title, the Queen was willing to grant their children the titles of princes and princesses...the titles they would be entitled to when Harry became Duke of York.

Harry had decided to remain a Prince of Wales and wait on the title that would one day be rightfully his.

When the Queen had inquired as to what Harry wanted to do with his life, he had again been honest with her. He told her that he wanted to follow in his mother's footsteps and devote his life to charity work. He confided in his grandmother that Hermione had the same goals in life. This was when she had issued the invitation for Hermione to spend Christmas with the family...and Harry had completely forgotten about it and waited two weeks to tell her.

All of this she knew...but she still didn't know what they were as a couple. She knew that they were an exclusive, committed couple. She even knew that marriage was in the cards...she just didn't know what their label was. They weren't engaged but boyfriend and girlfriend didn't seem serious enough at this point.

"What do I call you?" She blurted out rather suddenly.

"Harry, I thought we had established this already love," He chuckled.

"That's not what I meant..."

"I know what you meant beautiful," He gently slapped her thigh. "Hop up,"

She did as she was told.

Standing up, he stretched a bit and then grabbed her hand and pulled her into the house. They found Eden in the kitchen feeding the kids.

"You alright if I steal her for the rest of the day?" Harry asked her older sister.

Eden smiled and nodded. "She's yours all weekend," She snapped her fingers and turned to Hermione. "I packed your things. Dean's already taken them out to the car."

With hugs all around for Eden and the kids, they were soon on their way to the beach house that Harry had rented for the two of them.

It was on the opposite side of the island and far removed from prying eyes. I sat on its own private stretch of beach and the New England-inspired clapboard house was hidden by white stone walls and protected by a security gate.

It was a ranch-style house with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, dining room, game room, sunroom, and a guesthouse in the back for Harry's security detail.

They didn't speak but a few words until they were alone in the privacy of the house's living room.

They both kicked out of their shoes and Harry removed the top of his uniform, leaving him in camo pants and an army-green wife beater.

Falling back onto the brown leather sofa, he pulled her into his arms. "I don't want to call you my girlfriend," He picked up the conversation from Eden and Leland's house. "Because you mean way more to me than that but I can't call you my fiancée yet. I do know one thing..."

"What?" She turned her head and softly kissed his chin.

"I'm yours," He kissed her lips. "And you're mine. I know that one day soon you're going to be my wife, my princess. I know that you're going to be the mother of my children. That's enough for me...for now."

Hermione kissed him again. "Me too,"

They lapsed into a comfortable silence until Hermione broke it. "I should probably go and shower." She ran her hands through her hair. "I'm pretty sure I still have bits of Leiah's breakfast in my hair." The smell of bananas that lingered around her was a dead giveaway.

"I should probably get washed up myself," He kissed her forehead. It seemed like now that they were together again after such a long separation that they just couldn't stop touching each other. "Been traveling damn near two days,"

Hermione felt warm inside knowing that he had done all of that traveling for her.

"You go first, babe" She kissed his cheek.

"I have a better idea," He caught her chin in his hand and turned her face to his. "How about we go and have a bath together?"

Damn him and his mini heart attacks!

"Just a bath, nothing more," He rushed to add.

While they had shared a bed before, they had never seen each other completely naked.

Hermione was a virgin and she knew that Harry was not. He had been honest with her about that. She knew this was something her mother would never approve of. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she was in no way scared of sharing a bath with Harry...she was just feeling Catholic guilt. She made her decision.

"I'd love to," She answered a bit shyly.

"I'll go run the water," He kissed her one last time before getting up.


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione slowly made her way down the long hallway with oddly bare white walls, just like the rest of the house, towards the sound of running water.

She arrived in a master bedroom dominated by bamboo furniture, including a bed covered in a decorative green mosquito net. The walls were bare in this room too, except for a single watercolor painting of white rose petals floating on a small pond.

Making her way into the attached bathroom, she found Harry sitting on the edge of the tub with his wife beater now discarded.

The tub was full and the small of lavender was strong in the air. She noticed a glass bottle of her favorite bubble bath sitting on the floor next to the tub.

"Eden stocked up the house for me," Harry admitted.

Things were awkward for a moment, neither really knowing what to do.

One didn't know how far to go and the other was scared of going too far.

Hermione had always been the type of person to jump into things headfirst so that is just what she did. Grabbing the hem of her baggy green sweatshirt, she pulled it over her head and let it all from his fingertips to the floor.

This seemed to spur Harry into action. He stood and slowly approached her, wrapping his arms around her bare waist. Rubbing his hands up her back his fingers stopped at the clasp of her black satin bra.

"May I?" He asked huskily, his breath warming her ear.

"Yes," Whoa! When had her voice started sounding like Marilyn Monroe?

She felt him unclasp her bra and then watched as he stepped back to slide the straps down and off of her arms.

Letting the bra join her sweater on the floor, he just stood and admired her.

"You're stunningly beautiful," He told her in the same husky tone as before. A tone that she was quickly becoming addicted to.

Growing bolder still, she took a step closer and reached for the belt buckle on his pants. Making quick work of it, she pulled it from the loops and dropped it.

She didn't reach for his zipper. She needed to make one thing clear before this went any further.

"Harry, I don't want you to get the wrong idea." She warned. "Even though I'm willing to convert in order to marry you, there are certain matters of faith that I'm not willing to compromise on...one of them is remaining a virgin until marriage."

They had never really discussed sex in-depth before and Hermione really wished that they weren't discussing it while half-naked...she felt like such a hypocrite.

"I already knew that love," He pulled her back into his arms. "It's one of the many things that I love about you,"

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

Harry began placing gentle kisses along her neck. "I want to share a bath with you because, to me at least, bathing with the person you love is a very intimate and trusting experience. As bloody gorgeous as you are, this has nothing to do with sex."

If Hermione hadn't already been convinced, that right there would have done the trick. The rest of their clothes were quickly discarded and Hermione found herself sitting in-between Harry's naked thighs with her back reclining on his muscular and hairless chest.

In her obvious state of undress and the position she was sitting in she could feel every inch of Harry's hard body...and meant every inch. The years of military service, polo, and an all-around active lifestyle had been very, very kind to him.

Having helped her wash her long, wavy hair and currently in the process of gently running a washcloth over her body, Hermione knew Harry was doing a lot of feeling himself. But she still could not bring herself to feel ashamed or self-conscious about her body. Hermione had learned that true love was having 100% trust in your partner...and she trusted Harry with everything...including her body.

"So, I have some more news for you," He told her as he wrung out the washcloth over her breasts and set it on the side of the tub.

"Good or bad?" She asked as she closed her eyes in relaxation.

"I'm hoping you'll take it as good news," He kissed the top of her head. "Wills and Kate will be arriving Sunday morning to spend a week."

A few short months ago she would have been freaked out by the prospect of a visit from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Now she wasn't scared at all. From the stories that Harry told William was actually the awesome older brother that everyone wanted and Kate was just the girl-next-door who happened to fall in love with the future King of England.

"That'll be nice," She replied lazily without opening her eyes. "I've been wanting to meet them."

He wrapped his arms around her and began to softly stroke her stomach under the warm, floral scented water. "Hermione, when I ask you to marry me, what are you going to say?"

Hermione opened her eyes and sat up in the water. She noticed he said 'when' and not 'if'. She also noticed that he also seemed to be actually worried that her answer would be anything other than 'yes'.

She turned her body in the water so that she was completely facing him. "My answer is going to be 'yes'," She reached for his hands. "After everything, why would you doubt that?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know love, I guess because it's getting down to the wire. My granny already approves of everything she knows about you. She just has to meet you in person and I know she will love you." He paused and took a deep breath. "From the stories I've heard, this is right around the time my mum became unhappy and my papa was away a lot back then...like I've been."

After reading about his parents' marriage and rather messy divorce, Hermione had figured that Harry might come with some emotional baggage and here it was. He was terrified of making his parents mistakes.

She smiled reassuringly at him and looked him in the eyes. "As you've said before, you are not your father...and I am not your mother. We are going into this with our eyes wide open and knowing exactly what being in love means. I miss you when you're gone...so much...but I'm also happier with you than I have ever been before in my life."

"Good," He pulled her in for a kiss. "Because I'd hate to think that I'd made a hasty investment." He smirked at her.

"What are you talking about now?" There was suspicion in her voice. He was way too good at pulling things over on her.

"I may have lied to you...again," He didn't sound sorry about this in the least. "I didn't rent this house...I bought it," He admitted. Well, that explained the bare walls. "I figured we could use it as a vacation home. I know you'll want to visit Eden, Leland, and the kids after you move to London...I know I'll want to,"

Hermione jumped up and threw her arms around his neck, splashing water all over the place, but she didn't care.

"I take it you're happy?" He laughed.

He didn't know how happy. A few short hours ago she had been worried about relationship labels and getting the Queen's blessing. Now, she felt like she could relax a little. If Harry was buying property on American soil than he must be certain that the Queen would approve of their desire to marry.

The fact that the property he had purchased was near the family that she was closest to, and with whom Harry was forging his own close bonds, proved to her how much he loved her. It proved that her happiness was important to him.

"I'm very happy," She kissed him again. "And I love you more than anything."

"I love you too, beautiful." He pulled her lips back to his.

They didn't make it out of the bath until the water was cold, they were too caught up in each other.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: KOA is the nickname of Kona International Airport for those who were curious.

Hermione and Harry's first full week together had been paradise for the couple. The fact that they just so happened to be in paradise only made it that more enjoyable.

During the week Eden and Leland dropped Leiah off at their house (she still couldn't believe that Harry had bought them a house!) in the mornings and the boys at school. Hermione and Harry quickly got into the habit of waking at seven in the morning, cooking breakfast for the two of them and Leiah, and then spending an hour or two on their private stretch of beach so the toddler could get some fresh hair. At two the boys were released from school and dropped off by bus outside of the house; Eden had somehow managed to arrange this even though Hermione and Harry's house was outside the kids' school district. The boys had a snack, did their homework, and then it was off to the beach again so they could run off some of the pent-up energy they had built up during school hours.

Hermione knew that Harry was good with the kids but she was honest to God shocked to discover how hands on Harry was. He had no problem changing diapers, giving baths, or helping with homework. The kids loved him. When Harry had said his mother had made sure he was around children, he wasn't lying. He had explained that his parents had been very hands-on. Nannies and nurses were only used in his home when his parents were away.

Hermione woke to the alarm clock going off at three in the morning. Groaning she reached over Harry and switched it off. Before she could move she was suddenly grabbed around the waist and hauled to Harry's chest.

"Morning beautiful," He didn't open his eyes or allow her to leave his arms.

"We have to get up babe," She told him sternly. "Or have you forgotten your brother should be landing at KOA in an hour and a half?"

It was Sunday and William and Kate would be arriving that day. They had decided to arrive early in the morning to avoid press detection. They really needed to get a move on because the airport was on the other side of the island and the drive there was going to take at least forty-five minutes.

"I'm up, I'm up," He released her and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

Harry might have been a morning person but this was too early an hour even for him.

"Good," Hermione got out of bed and went to the dresser to pull out a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt with a Golden Snitch on the front. Harry had bought it for her as a joke. "I promised Dean we would be on the road by four."

Hermione had found herself rather liking Harry's protection officer and Dean liked her. She was good at keeping the chronically tardy prince on schedule, something Dean had never managed to do.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Harry rolled out of bed. "Wills owes me for this. I know him and Kate wanted a vacation away from the press but this is too bloody early."

An hour later, as Hermione had promised Dean, they were on the road. It hadn't taken them nearly as long to reach the airport as it would have during daylight hours. The roads were almost completely empty and when they passed through the smaller towns some of the streetlights were blinking, indicating that there wasn't enough traffic to keep them running at night. They reached at the airport in under half an hour...which was a good thing. William and Kate's plane had arrived almost an hour ahead of schedule and they were waiting for them in the VIP lounge when they were snuck in, with the aid of airport security, a back entrance.

She was surprised by the couple she encountered. She had only ever seen William and Kate on television or in the papers. They were always dressed to the nines and very official looking. That was not the William and Kate that Hermione met that morning.

They were dressed down. Kate in skinny jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt and William in cargo pants and button down shirt. They didn't have an air of royalty about them but then again after being with Harry, royalty really didn't impress Hermione anymore. She knew that they were normal people with abnormal lives. Plus, when she married Harry she really didn't want people to look at her in awe and be scared to talk to her.

William and Kate both stood from the couch they were seated on when Hermione and Harry entered the room. Both immediately went to Harry and hugged him.

Harry wrapped his arm around her waist. "I'd like you two to meet Hermione. Hermione this is my brother William and sister-in-law, Kate." He introduced.

She held out her hand but Kate was having none of that. She leaned forward and embraced her in a friendly hug. "It's so good to meet you. Harry hasn't stopped talking about you for months."

"It's great to meet you too. Harry's told me a lot about the two of you,"

When Kate released her, William pulled her into a brotherly hug and mock whispered so Harry could hear, "If he's holding you against your will, tell me now and we'll run."

Hermione burst out laughing as she pulled away.

Harry glared at his brother. "Whatever, I'm still convinced you're blackmailing Kate into being with you."

Hermione looked at Kate, who was suddenly looking a little green. "Are they always like this?"

Kate nodded but didn't speak. Hermione pulled her aside as the men started making arrangements with Dean to load the luggage in the car and sneak out of the airport.

"Are you alright?" She asked once they were out of earshot of Harry and William. "You don't look too good right now."

Kate rubbed her stomach. "I think I'm coming down with something. I haven't felt right in a week."

Hermione nodded understandably. "And a long plane ride probably didn't help. Let me go hurry the men along so you can get back to the house and get some rest."

Kate smiled warmly at her. "I think I'm going to like you,"


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update this story. I have been dealing with a lot of health problems as of late. This chapter is honestly a filler chapter so I am sorry for how short it is. I promise the next chapter will be MUCH longer.

Once the small group arrived back at the house, Harry and William went out to the lanai to catch up while Hermione led Kate to the only furnished guest room in the house.

Kate, who still wasn't looking well, in fact, she looked worse than she had at the airport, sat on the edge of the bed holding her stomach.

"Kate, I'm really not trying to pry but are you sure you just have a bug?" Hermione asked concerned.

Kate shook her head. "We've been working so much recently that I haven't really been taking care of myself. I've gained half a stone in the last month."

Hermione didn't know how many pounds were in a stone but she was struck by a sudden thought.

"When was the last time you had your period?"

Kate took a moment to think before her eyes went wide. "Two months ago," She whispered. "What am I going to do? We wanted to wait a bit longer before we tried for a baby."

Hermione, being Hermione, took charge of the situation. "First things first, you need to take a pregnancy test."

"Hermione, I can't just walk into a Boots Pharmacy and buy a test." Kate pointed out. "The press would find out before I even had a chance to take the test."

Hermione nodded. "That's why you're not going...and we'll have to settle for Wal-Greens because we don't have Boots here."

Kate laid back on the bed with her legs dangling over the edge. "You can't go either. Everyone knows you're dating Harry. The press will think the test is for you."

She had not thought of that but she had another idea. She grabbed her cell phone out of her back pocket and called Eden. Her sister answered on the second ring. "What's up, sissy?"

"Please, tell me you're home and not busy?"

"Getting the kids ready to head to your place," Eden responded. "You and Harry invited us over for a barbeque remember?"

No, she honestly had not.

"Can you stop and pick up a pregnancy test on your way?"

Eden started laughing. "Mother is going to kill you!"

It was times like this that Hermione remembered how big of an airhead her older sister could be.

"It's not for me, you ditz." She rolled her eyes. "Harry's only been here for a week. I haven't had time to get pregnant."

"So you DID lose your V-Card?" Eden teased.

"Eden focus!" Hermione snapped. "Can you get the test or not?"

"Chill out, Herms!" Eden laughed and then she gasped. "It's for Kate!"

Hermione sighed. "Yeah, it is, now would you hurry up. I have a Duchess freaking out over here."

"On it, kiddo!" Eden said and disconnected the call.

Hermione laid her cell phone on the dresser and took a seat on the bed next to Kate. "My sister's buying the test."

"Thanks," Kate said sincerely. "I can see why Harry loves you."


	13. Chapter 13

Eden, Leland, and the kids arrived half an hour. Leland and the kids went and joined Harry and William outside while Eden joined the women in the guest bedroom.

"Did you get it?" Hermione jumped up the moment Eden walked through the door.

Eden closed the door and leaned against it before throwing her sister the box.

"You must be Kate?" She waved awkwardly to the woman sitting Indian style in the center of the bed clutching a small trash can to her chest.

Kate waved back weakly. "Awkward way to meet but nice to meet you...and thanks."

Eden laughed and shook her head. "No problem,"

Hermione was glad that the two of them appeared to be getting along. Eden was a very socially awkward person and making new friends was hard for her. It must have had something to do with the fact that Kate didn't look very intimidating clutching a trash can like a lifeline. In fact, the poor woman looked downright pathetic.

"I think it's time to take this text," Hermione waved the E.P.T. box.

With Eden's assistance, she helped Kate, who was clutching the trash can, to the bathroom.

The test was the kind that provided immediate results so the women were not surprised when Kate exited the bathroom only five minutes later. She was clutching the plastic pregnancy test tightly in her right hand and she looked even paler than when she had been before...if that was even possible.

She walked to the bed and sank down to sit on the foot of it. "Who wants to tell the future King of England that he's about to be a father? I'm not sure I can because I'm bloody terrified."

Hermione couldn't for the life of her understand Kate's fear. If William was anything like Harry he would be happy at the news of his wife's pregnancy.

"I'm sure that William will be happy." She assured the older woman.

"I'm scared that I'm not ready for this," Kate admitted.

Eden laughed. "Take it from someone who became a mother to three kids all at once...you're never ready. You just go with it – but in the end, it's all worth it. Your kids are always worth it."

"Dakota Chapman! You took my phone apart?! I just bought this thing!" Leland could be heard yelling.

"I can put it back together!" They heard the boy's defense.

Kate started to cry.

"If you'll excuse me," Eden said as she headed towards the door. "I have to go and save my son from death at the hands of his father."

It took Hermione almost half of an hour to get Kate to calm down. When she did, Kate made plans to take William for midnight boat ride and tell him about the pregnancy.

She was quietly sneaking out of the guest room when she was caught in the hallway by Harry. He was wearing the baggy jeans, Eminem t-shirt, and Tarheels baseball cap (that she had gotten for him) that he wore when he wanted to go out unnoticed and had the keys to her range rover in his hand.

He gave her a quick kiss. "Love, did you know that when you invite people over for a barbeque you should probably have the items needed for a barbeque? Want to be my date to the store?" He shook the keys at her.

Hermione laughed and agreed.

On the ride to the store, Harry finally brought up Kate. She had been curious when he was going to.

"So, what's wrong with Kate?" He asked as he drove towards the local Super Wal-Mart. "I've known her for over ten years and she's never ill."

"I'll tell you if you swear you won't tell William,"

He gave her a funny look as he stopped at a red light. "I swear,"

Kate's pregnant. You're going to be an uncle."

A smile spread across his face as the light turned green and he corrected her. "Again, I'm about to be an uncle again."

Was it bad that she loved him a little bit more for saying that?

"So, wait a moment," Harry said as he pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot and found a place to park. "How many people already know?" He killed the engine.

"Me, Eden, because she bought the test," Hermione ticked off on her fingers. "Leland knows something because he drove Eden to buy the test. Dakota might be old enough to put two and two together and now you, of course."

Harry pulled his baseball cap down lower over his head and laughed. "So Wills is the last to know. He's going to love that."


	14. Chapter 14

Harry kept his baseball cap pulled down low and his arm around Hermione’s waist as they shopped. For a prince, he could sure be domestic when he wanted to be. She knew she could probably thank his mother for that quality. Hermione already knew that she could thank the late Diana for her son’s ability to cook. That talent came in handy when she herself had once started a small kitchen fire while attempting to boil water.  
She had no clue what Harry planned on cooking so she just threw what he told her to into the cart.  
“Do you want to wait for a bit after the wedding?” Harry asked as he placed a bag of fresh sweet corn in the cart.  
“Huh?” Hermione turned from where she was examining the price of watermelon. She had no clue what he was talking about.  
“To have kids I mean.” He clarified.   
Should they be having this conversation in the middle of the Wal-Mart produce department? Was she even ready to have this conversation?  
As she examined his expression she realized that this was something that was important to him. While she might be only in her early twenties, Harry was in his late twenties and probably eager to start a family of his own. Was she ready for children? She had to really consider her answer and search her heart. She loved children and at times envied the family that Eden shared with Leland. She adored the time that Dakota, Cobie, and Leiah spent with her and Harry. She loved watching how attentive Harry was to her niece and nephews. Like Leland and even more so than William, Harry was made to be a dad. The only things really standing in her way was her age and her lack of a college education but the more that she thought about it, the more that she realized that those were bullshit excuses. Harry’s own mother only had the British equivalent of a high school education and had given birth to William when she was only in her early twenties. If she wanted it just as badly as Harry and Princess Diana could do it, why couldn’t she? Being brave was about being true to yourself, even if society thought what you wanted was outdated.  
Hermione grabbed a watermelon and placed it on the rack on the bottom of the cart before she responded. “I don’t think I’d really want to wait, honestly.” She shrugged like it was no big deal. “I really don’t believe in birth control so I was just going to let nature take its course.” It was true, growing up a Catholic she didn’t believe in the use of contraceptives. She had been taught that when she wished to stop having children to remove herself from her marriage bed. This belief might change as she got older and had a few children but at the moment it held firm.  
The smile that Harry gave her was almost blinding. 

Later that night after Eden, Leland, and the kids had gone home and Kate had taken William out to blindside him with the news of his impending fatherhood, Harry and Hermione found themselves alone.  
They had decided to take a blanket out onto their own stretch of private beach that sat behind the house so they could enjoy the water and each other’s company.  
“So, I was talking to my Uncle Charles this afternoon,” Harry informed her. She was seated with her back to his chest between his legs and given the late hour she couldn’t see his expression.  
She knew that his Uncle Charles was his mom’s brother. He had spoken of him at length. Uncle Charles had kept the famous promise that he had made to his older sister at her funeral. He kept Harry and William in touch with the common man and with their maternal family roots. Harry knew that he was a member of the Royal Family but he also knew that he was a Spencer – with blood ties to Winston Churchill. He was equally proud of both of his families.  
“And?” Hermione prompted.   
“And we spoke about you and how I feel about you…again.” He chuckled and kissed the back of her head. “I told him that I know you are it for me and he helped me make a decision.”  
“What decision?” Hermione was curious. Harry sounded so serious.  
“He helped me decided to take what I want and say screw the Firm,” He grabbed her left hand and slipped an emerald ring on her finger. “Marry me, Hermione?”


	15. Chapter 15

Hermione's heart stopped and it took it a hot minute before it started up again.

Harry had just purposed. He had said to hell with outdated royal protocol and asked her to be his wife...and she hadn't said anything that.

"Love?" He nuzzled her neck. "It's not nice to leave a bloke hanging when he's asked such an important question."

She laughed through the tears that suddenly were pooling in her eyes. "Yes," There had never been any doubt as to what her answer would be. She honestly already considered them engaged...she had just been waiting for him to make it official...which he just had.

Harry turned her head to his and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.

"Do you like your ring?" He asked when they pulled apart.

"I can't really see it," She admitted as she tried to get a better look at the ring in the Hawaiian moonlight. All she could tell was that it was a princess cut emerald and she really didn't need to know anymore. The ring wasn't what was important to her, Harry was. He could have given her a ring out of a gumball machine and she still would have been just as happy. Her answer would have still been exactly the same.

"Come on," He helped her to her feet and led her into the house.

Once they were in the living room, Hermione took a seat on the sofa and really took a moment to examine her ring. It was unlike anything that she had ever seen before. Instead of being set in silver or gold the emerald sat on a band made completely out of black onyx. Instead of a ring of diamonds encircling the stone, as was traditional, the precious green gem was surrounded by tiny opals – the kind that changed color depending on how the light hit them. It was beautiful and weird...just like Hermione.

"I love it," She assured him.

She had been expecting a piece from the Crown Jewels or a bauble that had once belonged to Princess Diana when they time came for Harry to purpose. A ring that's beauty came more from its price tag and royal connection than from its actual appearance. She liked Harry's personal touch way better.

'Well," Harry took a seat and pulled her to straddle his lap. "I figured that I could give you some God awful, gaudy ring from Granny or I could give you one that belonged to my mum...either way you'd automatically start being compared to the previous owner." He took her hand and rubbed his thumb over the ring. "By designing a ring just for you I'm making a statement. You are not just another royal bride in a long line. You're special; someone to be remembered...like my mum or Granny. Hundreds of years from now I want royal brides to wear that ring and I want the importance of the ring to be that it once belonged to Princess Hermione." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

Hermione was once again reduced to a weepy mess. She buried her face in his shoulder and let the tears of happiness fall.

This was how William and Kate found them when they arrived back at the house.

"Is she alright?" Kate asked in alarm upon seeing Hermione in tears.

"We're getting married," Hermione mumbled into Harry's shirt like it explained everything.

Kate nodded. "Got it," Apparently, she understood what Hermione was going through.

"What's the matter with him?" Harry nodded towards his silent brother.

William kept shaking his head as though he were trying to clear cobwebs.

"We're having a baby," William said in a tone suggesting that he himself may not yet fully believe it.

"He'll be fine," Kate waved her hand. "He did this for the first few hours after he purposed too." She explained. Her nerves about her impending motherhood must have subsided.

"On that very odd note," Harry stood with Hermione still in his lap, using his hands on her hips to keep her from falling. "I think the two of us are going to turn in for the night."


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***WARNING*** This chapter is one big, half-assed lemon courtesy of yours truly. If this isn't your cup of tea, turn around now.

Harry set her on her feet once they reached the bedroom. As she shimmied out of her sundress she couldn't help but notice how Harry's eyes lingered on her body as he stripped down to his boxers. She couldn't help but notice the small tenting of the fabric as she stopped herself from pulling her nightgown over her head. She stood at the foot of the bed wearing nothing except for a pair of silver lace boy shorts. It's not like Harry had never seen her naked before...she wasn't shy about her body...not with him.

She softly laughed to herself. What the hell was she doing? What was saving herself for marriage really achieving? Besides torturing both of them. They had already promised to spend their lives together and now his finger was on her finger. Why were they waiting to be together? She couldn't hide behind religion. Almost every day they shared a shower or a bath together and ran their hands all over each other's bodies. Hermione was fairly certain the Pope would frown on that type of behavior just as much as he would pre-marital sex.

"What are you thinking so hard about over there, beautiful?" Harry asked as he pulled the covers on the bed back.

Hermione walked to his side and stood directly in front of him, looking into his sky-blue eyes. She reached out and took his hand in hers.

"I want you to make love to me, Harry," She told him softly.

Ginger eyebrows shot up at her words and he brought a hand up to cup her cheek.

"Are you positive?"

She nodded her head resolutely.

"This isn't something you can take back, love," He told her huskily as he caressed her cheek.

She smiled. "Trust me, babe...I won't want to take this back."

That was all the encouragement that he needed. He pushed her back on the bed and his boxers and her panties were soon discarded.

It felt like his mouth and hands were everywhere at once...tasting, teasing.

Hermione knew from the little bit of exploring that they had done with just their hands that Harry would be good but she hadn't expected him to be THIS good. She didn't need anything or anyone to compare him to to know that he was an amazing lover.

It wasn't long before she felt his tip gently poking her entrance and she heard him cursing.

Wait...why was he cursing? Had she done something wrong?

She pushed herself up to lay on her elbows so she could look at him.

"What's the matter?"

Harry sat back on his heels, his erection standing proudly at attention between his well-muscled thighs.

"I don't have any protection," He ran a hand over his face. "I really didn't think that we would be doing this until our wedding night so I haven't gotten any."

Hermione took a minute to really think about what she was doing, the chance she was taking before she finally spoke.

"Are you safe?"

He knew what she was asking and slowly nodded his head. "I've been tested."

"I'm not on anything," She softly informed him. "But I really want to do this with you...tonight and in don't want there to be anything between us. I've already told you that I don't believe in birth control but I need to know that you understand the risk that we are taking," She reached forward and enclosed her hand around his cock.

Harry sucked in a breath. "Fuck the Firm," He hissed as he pushed her to lay on her back and he retook his position between her open legs.

He leaned down and took one of her nipples between his lips and sucked as he slowly pushed inside of her. He wasn't pornstar big but he was rather thick and she dug her fingernails into his shoulders as she adjusted to his girth. When he reached her barrier, he stopped and held himself completely still.

Knowing what was coming, Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the pain...but it didn't come. Harry still didn't move.

"Open your eyes, Hermione," He demanded of her. "I need to be looking in your eyes when I do this, sweetheart, please."

The pure, raw need in his voice forced her to obey.

As she opened her eyes and they locked with his, he pushed his hips forward and removed the last barrier that stood between them.

Later as she lay on Harry's chest feeling completely sated and he ran his fingers through her sweat soaked hair, Hermione was caught off guard by the words that left her fiance's mouth.

"We need to get married as soon as bloody possible,"

"I'm disagreeing with you, but why?" She laid a kiss on his chest, right above his heart.

He let the hand that had been playing with her hair travel down to her ass which he gave a firm squeeze.

"Because now that I've had you, I won't be able to keep my hands off of you. You're going to be preggers in no time."


	17. Chapter 17

It was at the beginning of October that Hermione was put through the meet-the-parents part of the relationship process and what was worse...her parents were going to be coming along for the ride.

"Hermione, love, please relax," Harry rolled his eyes at her. She was pacing the living room floor. He was reclined on the couch playing Call of Duty.

"Your dad and step-mom will be here tonight," She was close to pulling an Eden and having a panic attack. "So will my parents...we have Secret Service agents in our backyard as we speak!"

He raised an eyebrow at her as if to say, so?

"And you didn't tell me until this morning, you jackass!" She huffed. "No one did!" Eden could have said something. Kate could have given her a head's up during one of the half a dozen phone calls they had exchanged in the past few weeks. Her mother could have called to confirm the plans with her...but no one had said a damn word!

"I forgot," Harry shrugged, not taking his eyes off of his video game.

She snapped and smacked him in the face with a couch cushion.

This finally got her royal idiot of a fiancé's attention.

"I thought it would be best for us to tell our parents about the engagement in private before palace and White House goons get involved and Holy Hell breaks loose," He defended himself as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Hermione sighed and flopped to sit beside him with her arms crossed over her chest. "It is a good idea" She conceded. "But you have got to stop forgetting to tell me things,"

He pulled her to straddle his lap. "You make it sound like I forget to tell you things all the time,"

"You do," She laughed and lightly smacked his shoulder.

"Do not," He shook his head.

"You forgot to tell me about your grandma inviting me for Christmas. You forgot to tell me about the BBQ until the night before. You forgot to tell me when Dakota told you that he had a parent/teacher conference at school. You forgot to tell me about this." She ticked off on her fingers and he tickled her sides to silence her.

"Point taken," He reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Everything will be fine tonight," He assured her. "My papa isn't nearly as mad as the media makes him out to be."

"Doesn't that mean he's still a little bit crazy? I read somewhere that he spends two hours a day talking to his plants," She eyed him wearily.

"Says the woman who has an Irish Catholic banshee for a mother," He snorted.

She had to really think for a moment before responding, "I don't have a comeback for that one,"

He laughed and pulled her down for a kiss.

Hermione gave in for a moment before she felt Harry's hands slip underneath her tank top. She pushed his hand away.

"Come on, love, I want you," He said huskily as he tried to pull her back down for another kiss.

"Sinners want ice water in hell but they ain't gettin' it," She shook her head and laughed as she stood from his lap. "I have too much to do and not a lot of time to do it thanks to your little habit of forgetting,"

Harry leaned back against the couch and threw an arm over his face. "Bugger,"


	18. Chapter 18

A dinner party between Hitler and Winston Churchill could have gone better. That is what Eden and Hermione had concluded after the disaster that had befallen them that night...and it was all their mother's fault.

The evening had started out rather lovely.

Eden and Leland had left the kids with his sister Lyssa and arrived first. Eden seemed rather excited about something and Leland was walking around with a happy smile on his face but both were keeping mum on whatever it was.

They had been followed by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. Hermione found that Harry was right...she had nothing to be scared of. They were both very warm and friendly – nothing like the pompous prince and wicked witch that press made them out to be.

They talked about what she wanted to do with her life and they both seemed pleased that she wanted to focus on charity work and motherhood. Charles seemed very interested when she told them that she really wanted to focus her charitable efforts on the homeless and youth programs.

"We really must find time to talk about my charity, the Prince's Trust," He told her as took a sip of the wine his son had served him. "With your interests and natural way with people, you would be a wonderful asset." He waved his hand. "We can talk more about it when you move to London. We have plenty of time."

It wasn't lost on her that he said when and not if. She relaxed a bit more about telling him about the engagement. It seemed like to Charlies, is was already a done deal.

When her parents arrived, by helicopter that landed on the beach, the evening had taken a turn for the worst.

Her mother had ignored Leland, greeted her daughters with two cold nods, and Hermione was pretty sure the only reason she had curtsied to Harry and Charles was because she had to as First Lady.

After a dinner filled with chilly conversation and snide comments on the part of her mother, Harry had gotten up the nerve to announce the good news.

He stood from the table and smiled uneasily at everyone gathered. "Everyone Hermione and I have some news..."

Her mother glared at him while everyone else looked at him expectantly.

He reached down and took her hand in his. "I've asked Hermione to be my wife and she's said yes,"

"You owe me twenty bucks," Eden turned to Leland.

He paid up with an amused smile on his face.

"I figured that's what this was about. I'm happy for you son," Charles chuckled. "Your granny will be thrilled. She's in love with everything she's heard about Hermione. She was already planning to give you her blessing at Christmas,"

Hermione was relieved to hear this.

"Bucking royal tradition. You truly are your mother's son," To some people that comment coming from Camilla would seem catty and disrespectful but it truly was neither. It was said with a genuine fondness. "Congratulations, Harry,"

"Thanks, Cam." Harry smiled warmly.

"You will raise any children Catholic, correct?" Her mother eyed her sternly.

Might as well get everything out in the open at once.

"No," She shook her head. "They'll be raised in the Church of England...and I'll be converting as well."

Charles smiled and nodded approvingly.

Her mother's face went almost purple in rage. "Hermione Grace, you better by joking,"

Her father reached over and patted her mother's hand. "Calm down, Rosemary. Hermione is an adult who can make her own decisions. We've discussed this."

Her mother ignored him. "Answer me!" She demanded.

"Any children of mine will be members of the royal family. They will be raised in the church that their great-grandmother is head of," She stood her ground.

"And since you're already pissed...I'm pregnant," Eden spoke up almost bored.

Rosemary James actually squeaked in her indignation. She abruptly stood, causing her chair to go crashing to the floor.

"Aren't the three bastards that you were stupid enough to adopt enough for you, Eden?!" Her mother was damn near shouting now and Hermione was thankful they didn't have any neighbors.

"We're getting married at the end of the month so shut up you miserable bat," Eden dismissed her mother. "And the next time you call my children bastards will be the last time that you speak to me,"

The threat of total alienation from her daughter shut her mother down cold.

She went to turn her wrath back on Hermione but Camilla stopped her by getting to her feet herself.

"Mrs. James," She addressed her mother coldly. "This is my stepson's home and I refuse to allow your outrageous behavior to continue. This is a happy occasion. We are celebrating an engagement and a new baby. If you do not wish to join in this family celebration than I suggest you leave right now."

Her parents had sadly but not surprisingly chosen to leave. Eden and Leland followed not long after to relieve his sister for the night.

Charles and Camilla would be staying in their guest room and had both taken the time to assure her that they didn't blame her for the way her mother had behaved that night before retiring to bed.

When she finally made it to her and Harry's bedroom after cleaning up, she found that Harry was in the bathroom taking a shower. Deciding that a shower sounded good, she tip-toed into the bathroom and stripped out of her clothes.

When she stepped in to join him, he immediately turned to wrap her up in his arms.

"Well, that went well," Were the first words he spoke to her as kissed her forehead.

She laughed and cuddled into his chest as the hot, relaxing water beat down on them.

"Yeah, in the war of crazy, the James family won hands down tonight," She responded and laid a kiss on his chest.

His nose nuzzled her ear and his hands roamed her body as he asked her huskily, "Do you want me to take your mind off of it, my love?"

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Please," She moaned as he squeezed her ass and leaned down to steal her lips in a steamy kiss.


	19. Chapter 19

Before they knew it, it was Thanksgiving and Harry and Hermione were packing up to leave Hawaii.

Hermione would be moving to London to live with Harry at his Kensington Palace cottage.

The house in Hawaii would be closed up and only used for when the couple needed to escape the United Kingdom.

The Queen had heard about their engagement and had even sent a lovely bouquet of flowers in congratulations. She wasn't upset that Harry hadn't asked her permission but she had phoned and requested that the news be kept from the press until Christmas. She wanted the announcement made when the family was all together.

Hermione hoped that the wedding was soon because she had a big problem. A problem she should have been expecting with the way she and Harry went at it.

She was either pregnant or the five positive pregnancy tests in front of her were all defective.

She wondered how much further she could push her luck before the Queen finally snapped and brought back public hangings.

Oh, and her mother was just going to love this. Both of her perfect Catholic daughters managing to get pregnant out of wedlock. It didn't matter that Eden and Leland were now married or that Hermione and Harry were engaged. Thier children would always be bastards to Rosemary James.

It was early Thanksgiving morning and Harry was sleeping while Hermione was melting down.

She didn't know why she was freaking out. Both she and Harry knew the risk they were running by not using protection.

She thought she had been prepared for this to happen but obviously, she had been wrong.

Sneaking back into the bedroom, she grabbed her cell phone off of the nightstand and made her way out onto the lanai to call the last person she would have ever expected to call for advice...the Duchess of Cornwall.

Hermione had grown very fond of Camilla and Charles during their visit.

Charles was very stiff and formal but was still very friendly.

Camilla was very warm and motherly and very easy to talk to.

London was eleven hours ahead of Hawaii and Hermione caught Camilla before she left for an evening at the opera with Charles.

Once she heard the older woman's voice, everything kind of came spilling out of her in a rush.

Once she was unloading her troubles she heard Camilla tell Charles to go ahead to the opera without her before she turned her attention to Hermione.

"Hermione, dear, you need to calm down. Stress isn't good for the baby," She told her gently. "And in the world of royal screw-ups, this doesn't even register on the radar," She laughed. "We'll just have to rush the wedding a bit and tell the Queen that the baby came early...she's still a bit old fashioned about some things."

Hearing Camilla sound so relaxed about everything went a long way towards calming her nerves.

"You really think everything will be okay?" She sounded like a scared little girl.

"Everything will be just fine," Camilla soothed. "A baby is always a blessing. Now, why don't you go and tell my step-son that he's about to be a father while I catch up with Charles and tell him the news,"

When she hung up the phone she looked up to find Harry standing in the doorway that led out to the lanai.

"Two questions," He said holding one hand behind his back. "Who was that this early in the morning?" He gestured towards her phone.

"Camilla...I called her for some advice," She told him honestly.

He nodded, stepped fully outside, and pulled his hand from behind his back.

"Second question – Does this mean we're going to be parents?" He waved the thin plastic device.

Swallowing nervously, she nodded.

"Thought so," Harry sounded choked up. "Come here, beautiful," He held out his hand to her.

She stood and walked to him.

He set the pregnancy test aside and wrapped an arm around her waist and sprawled one hand over her belly softly.

"Thank you, Hermione," He leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss. "You have no idea how badly I wanted this,"

At his emotional words, Hermione found all of her anxiety about the baby flying out the window and tears began to flow freely down her cheeks as she laid her hand atop his on her stomach.

"I love you, Harry,"

He leaned down and kissed her again. "I love you too, Hermione, and I love this baby...so much,"


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Let's just pretend that Harry extended his stay in Hawaii by a few weeks because I forgot the whole November 1st thing to be honest...my bad.
> 
> Author's Note II: This is just a short, filler chapter before we get to London. We won't really be seeing much of the Eden and the rest of the Chapman family after this so I wanted to give them one more chapter.

Harry hadn't let Hermione out of bed for the rest of the morning and afternoon. He had wanted to thoroughly and enthusiastically celebrate their newly discovered pregnancy. Hermione had been too blissed out to complain.

She had known that Harry would be supportive of her pregnancy but she had in no way expected him to be so happy. He was going to make an amazing father.

Finally, at around four, she had convinced him to leave the bed to go to dinner at Eden and Leland's house.

Thanksgiving Dinner was a custom that Harry knew about but had never partaken in. He was going for her and because he liked hanging out with Leland and his brothers, who would be there. Leland's sister Lyssa would be cooking the holiday meal because Lord knew Eden was a horrible cook...and Hermione was even worse.

As they were gathered with family and friends at Eden and Leland's dining room table, each taking turns saying what they were thankful for, Harry let the cat out of the bag about the baby.

Looking in her eyes, he said, "I'm thankful for this beautiful, amazing woman that's about to be my wife and I'm thankful for the child she's honoring me by carrying," He reached over and squeezed her hand under the table as she bit back tears.

Leave it to Harry to have the perfect response to a traditional holiday question that he had never answered before.

The table erupted in congratulations.

Cobie fist pumped the air at the idea of another cousin.

Leland stood and walked around the table to slap Harry on the back.

Eden, well...Eden actually spit a mouthful of iced tea across the table, soaking Leland's brother Wesley. "Oh my God, this is going to kill mother!" She cackled not unlike the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz. "I can't wait!

Hermione couldn't help it...she started laughing. Her family was completely insane...but she really wouldn't want them any other way.

As they were getting ready to head home after dinner, Eden pulled her into a tight hug.

"Congrats, little sister," She said when she pulled away. "You are going to make an awesome mom,"

Hermione's heart broke a little. She and Harry were leaving for London the following morning. She was going to miss her big sister and her family.

"You, Leland, and the kids are going to be there to see is off at the airport in the morning, right?" She teared up a bit.

"Try and keep us away," Eden's smile was a little watery.

As they were walking to the car, Harry must have sensed that she was a bit sad.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "We'll come visit all the time," He gave her a quick kiss as they arrived at her Range Rover and he held open her door for her.

He knew her so well.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not trying to bash Catholics in this story, I am actually a practicing Catholic myself. I am just addressing some issues that a lot of Catholics have and I'm using Hermione leaving the church to do it.

The last week of November passed in a whirlwind of activity for Hermione. She had barely arrived in London and gotten settled into Harry's cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace when Camilla and Kate started showing up on a daily basis to make hasty wedding plans. The palace wanted her and Harry married before she started to show.

On her second day in her new hometown, she and Harry secretly paid a visit to the Royal College of Obstetricians so she could receive a prenatal check-up. They found out that she and the baby were both in good health and she was only about a month and a half along. This helped them settle on a January 15 wedding date. Now all they had to do was tell the Queen. Harry planned on telling his grandmother when they arrived at Sandringham for the holidays.

Hermione had just finished packing for said trip when she heard Harry calling to her from the front of the cottage. “The car's here to take us to the train station, love!”

Not two seconds later did their driver appear in the doorway to collect the bags. Taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, she followed the man out to the car.

Hermione was a nervous wreck the entire train ride to Norfolk. She showed it by talking a mile a minute. She did this until Harry pulled her in the private sleeping quarters of the Royal Train and kissed her senseless in order to shut her up.

When they finally arrived at Sandringham Estate not long after night had fallen, Hermione was silently repeating the same curtsy mantra that she had used when she had first met Harry. They were led into a large, rustic sitting room that smelled of apples, spice, and wood. The Queen sat in an armchair by the fire with a cranky looking old man that Hermione knew to be Prince Phillip sitting beside her.

The elderly couple stood and Hermione once again managed not one, but two perfect curtsies. She even managed to remember to address Harry's grandmother as Your Majesty at first and as Ma'am every time she spoke to her after that.

“Well, let me see you ring, dear,” The Queen said as she retook her seat. Hermione and Harry took seats in the two armchairs facing the Queen and Duke. “Kate's been telling me that it's simply beautiful.”

“Women,” Prince Phillip scoffed good-naturedly.

Hermione held out her left hand so the Queen could get a good look at her engagement ring. The old woman held her hand she examined the ring.

“That is strangely beautiful and very unique...I like it.” She gave her approval.

“So, when is the wedding and how much is it going to cost the taxpayers?” Prince Phillip got right down to the point.

Harry reached over and took her hand before he began to speak, “We want to get married on January 15 at the church in the village at Balmoral. We will pay for it out of my inheritance from my mum and Hermione's trust fund.”

“We don't mind if it's filmed...to be broadcast live or aired later but we want it to be small,” Hermione added. “And my conversion to the Church of England was completed two weeks ago.”

“My, my...what's the big rush?” The Queen chuckled.

“What my wife is trying to politely ask is...how far along are you?”

A shocked silence pause followed the old Duke's question.

“How did you know?” If Hermione wasn't mistaken Harry's voice now held a touch of fear.

“Harry, we've lived through everything from World War II to the fall of the Berlin Wall,” Prince Phillip answered but he didn't seem angry.

“Times have changed and we're not fools,” The Queen softly laughed. “I take it the two of you are happy about the baby?”

“Incredibly,” Harry grinned like a little boy who had just received the best gift ever on Christmas morning.

The Queen nodded, “While I really wish you would have waited until after the wedding to start your family, a child is a gift that should never be wished away.”

That right there is why Hermione had converted. The Protestant Queen looked at her unborn child as a gift. Her devote Catholic mother would look upon her grandchild as a bastard for being conceived outside of wedlock.

“We will release a wedding announcement tomorrow,” The Queen got to her feet. “For tonight, the two of you have a bite to eat and get some rest.”

“There should still be some leftover lamb in the kitchens,” Were Prince Phillip's parting words as he and the Queen took their leave.

Once the elderly couple was gone, Harry turned to her in disbelief, “Things like that are why I love those two to death,” He pointed in the direction his grandparents had departed in.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I would like to remind readers that I am not trying to bash Catholics. I AM a Catholic. No true Catholic can say that the Church has not made any mistakes in its long existence. To err is human and without mistakes and evil we would have no need for God or the Church in the first place. That is how I feel, and I know that others might disagree and that's fine. EVERYONE has a right to their own opinion. Rosemary James comes off as a crazy bitch, yes, but I'm not saying that's how ALL Catholic women are. We're not. Mrs. James is simply based on Rose Kennedy, the mother of President John F. Kennedy. Right or wrong, this is how she thought and behaved with her children. She refused to attend her own daughter's funeral because she had been killed in a plane crash while in the company of her boyfriend. Her boyfriend's only fault? He was a divorced Protestant. She refused to attend the funeral because she believed her daughter's soul was in Purgatory. So, if you want to say that Mrs. James is too extreme and no real person would act like this...go pick up a biography of Rose Kennedy.

The next morning, before her and Harry had even gone down to breakfast, Hermione made two phone calls.

The first was to Eden in Hawaii. She caught her older sister up on everything that happened since she had arrived in England and checked up on her niece and nephews.

Her second call wasn't nearly as pleasant. She called her mother. She had to go through her mother's private secretary and was placed on hold for fifteen minutes before her mother finally came on the line.

“Yes, Hermione?” Her mother almost sounded bored to be speaking to her youngest child.

“Mother, I have some news,” She nervously perched on the side of the four-poster bed and played with the phone cord.

“Well, spit it out. I have somewhere that I need to be.” Her mother snapped and it made her jump like a small child caught in the act of being naughty.

Harry sat up in bed and moved to sit behind her. He moved her hair aside and started laying gentle kisses along her neck. She relaxed almost immediately.

“That palace is going to announce the engagement today.” She informed her mother. “We've also decided to get married on January 15th in Scotland.” She said happily.

“Why must you do it so soon?” Her mother complained. “We have an election coming up. Your father and I are very busy.”

Hermione bit the bullet. “Because I'm pregnant and we want to be married before I really start to show.”

She and Harry had discussed simply not telling her parents about the baby until after the wedding. It would be so much easier just to claim that they had conceived on their honeymoon. In the end, they had both decided to simply tell the truth. They weren't ashamed of their child and they refused to act like they were. They already had to hide the truth from the public, and even some members of the royal family – apparently, Harry's Aunt Sarah had a bad habit of talking to the press when she was hard up for cash – and they refused to hide their child any more than they had to.

“Why am I not surprised?” Her mother grumbled. “I don't know where I went wrong raising you and your sister.”

Well, her biggest mistake was that she hadn't actually raised her girls herself – a team of round the clock nannies had in their younger years and a series of boarding schools had taken over when they were teenagers.

“Mother, Harry and I are happy about the baby. We want a big family. Even the Queen says that this child is a blessing.” She was pleading with her mother to be happy for her.

Harry moved from behind her to sit at her side with his arm wrapped around her waist when he heard the negative direction the conversation was headed in.

“The Queen is a Protestant so that explains that,” Her mother said dryly. “And I guess it doesn't matter either way. Any child raised outside the Church is a bastard.” She called her own grandchildren bastards with the same nonchalant attitude one used to talk about the weather. “Maybe one day you and your sister will give me legitimate grandchildren but I'm not holding my breath.”

It seemed that Harry was now close enough to hear the venom her mother was spewing because he grabbed the phone from her hand.

“Mrs. James, with all due respect, I'm done with your bullocks. Since I have known you, I have heard you refer to my niece and nephew and my own bloody child as bastards – your own GRANDCHILDREN – when every one of them is precious and worth getting to know,” Hermione had never seen Harry this angry. “If you want to continue being a bitter old hag, that's your problem and you can consider you and your husband un-fucking-invited to the wedding. You can also stay the hell out of your daughters lives entirely. Leland and I will make sure they are happy and taken care of. Good luck with your husband's next election. He's going to need it once his daughter is a British princess who can't involve herself in politics...and who wants nothing to do with either one of you.” He slammed the phone down.

Hermione promptly burst into tears and buried her face in his chest.

“It will be okay,” Harry said softly as he held her close. “No matter what happens, I'm here, I'm not going anywhere...and I love you.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's make this story interactive, shall we? The readers get to choose. Should Harry and Hermione's baby be a boy or a girl? I'm posting this on every site this story is posted on (Wattpad, Mibba, Quotev, AO3, and Tumblr) and counting the votes from all. Voting ends on January 15, 2017.
> 
> For those who are curious, Manō is Hawaiian for shark. If you've read Eden's Crush, the sister story to this fic, then you will understand why Eden and Leland would pick the baby name that they do. They are two very...unique people. Also...SPOILER ALERT! If you are reading Eden's Crush this story spoils a lot of what is still to come with that story.

It wasn't long before Christmas Eve was upon them. It was below freezing outside and a light dusting of snow had fallen just that afternoon. Harry had gotten caught up playing in the snow with William like the two of them were little boys and Hermione had decided to retire early because she had something that she wanted to share with her fiance and she wanted to dig it out of her suitcase where she had hidden it before he followed her upstairs for the night.

It hadn't taken Hermione long to grow comfortable within the walls of Sandringham and within the tight-knit circle of the royal family. Camilla, and to a lesser extent, the Queen – who had instructed Hermione to call her Granny – provided a maternal warmth that, since childhood, she had sorely lacked. While Kate would never take the place of her older sister, having her around made the absence of Eden more bearable. She had not spoken to her mother since that disastrous phone call. Her mother had not reached out to her so Hermione had felt no need to initiate any kind of contact. She wasn't the one who was in the wrong, her mother was. The last time she had spoken to Eden, her sister had informed her that she was no longer on speaking terms with their mother either. Eden had discovered that she and Leland were expecting another little boy. They planned to name him Axl Manō. When Eden had told her mother of their name choice, she had blown a fuse. She demanded that they choose a different name. If her grandson was going to be a bastard then he at least deserved to have a proper name. That had been her opinion and it had also been the straw that broke the camel's back in Eden's relationship with their mother.

Hermione sat on the Victorian four-poster bed in the large bedroom that she and Harry were sharing. She was dressed in a pair of white leggings and a long-sleeve emerald t-shirt to stay warm. Sandringham was old and very drafty. In her hand, she held an index card containing two names...one male and one female.

Harry felt like Hermione was giving up a lot to be with him. Her relationship with her parents, living close to her sister. Her privacy was pretty much non-existent. Anytime she stepped out in public, the press was almost sure to follow. It was like she was Mary and they were little lambs. If she thought being the President's daughter was hard, it was nothing on being an (almost) member of the royal family. Luckily for her, the press was being a lot nicer to her than they had been to Kate in the very beginning before she had proven herself. Kate had a college degree and job working for her parents' successful company but the press had labeled her as Waity Katie and depicted her as spoiled and lazy when she was first seen with William. No matter what she did there were still a few publications that still liked to perpetuate that myth. But Hermione had an advantage coming in. She was the daughter of a very beloved (sitting) American president. While she was a college drop-out, all the press liked to focus on was her charity work and her time working as a nanny for her older sister. To a nostalgic public, it brought back images of a shy young blonde woman from the not so distant past who had worked a similar job prior to her marriage. The fact that she was American made her amount of fans quadruple. The American people had held a certain fascination with the British monarchy since the reign of George VI and they were thrilled that one of their own was marrying into the family. Every time she went online or turned on the TV it seemed like she saw her own face and was bombarded with way overblown “news” stories of how saint-like she was. Because she was sacrificing so much to be with him, Harry had insisted that she be the one to name their unborn child. As long as the name wasn't something insane like Audio Science or Pilot Inspektor and was at least a little traditional she could choose whatever name she wanted. This was Harry's way of showing her that while a great deal was out of their control, she would always be the same holding the reigns when it came to their children...just like his mother had been the one calling the shots with him and William when they were kids. The only difference between his childhood and the one they had planned for their unborn child, is that while Harry's parents had simply co-parented, they would function as an actual couple and family.

Hermione had spent weeks going through a list of royal names from the past and modern baby name books and websites before she finally arrived at her final two choices. It had taken a lot of work because they had agreed to follow royal tradition and give their child three middle names.

She really hoped Harry came up to their room soon. She had told him that she had something to show him and that she was tired before heading inside and upstairs for the night. The baby seemed to be sucking the life right out of her these days and she always seemed to be exhausted for no reason.

Finally, Harry arrived in their room. His hair was wet from his snowball fight with his brother and his cheeks red from the cold. In his hand, he carried a small square, green gift box that she noticed as he closed the door.

“What did you want to show me, love?” He asked as he took a seat on the bed next to her.

“I've settled on names,” She lightly waved the index card.

“Well, let's hear them, then,” He nodded at her.

“For a boy...John William Leland Henry,”

“And if it's a girl?” He asked, giving no clue either way of what he thought of the boy's name.

“Alice Elizabeth Eden Catherine,” She replied. She knew that while Harry adored his later mother, he wouldn't want his daughter to carry the burden that came along with such a heavy name. “What do you think?” She asked nervously.

“I think they are perfect...just like you,” He leaned in for a kiss. “I have something for you,” He told her as he pulled away and handed her the gift box.

“Christmas is tomorrow,” She reminded him.

“I know,” He nodded. “But I wanted to give this to you in private. Not everyone in the family knows that you're preggers.”

Now Hermione was curious as she lifted the lid off the gift box. Pushing aside the red tissue paper, she found a large, green glass Christmas bulb ornament. Listing it out of the box carefully, she found that it had been painted. There was a cartoon version of Harry Potter standing with his arm wrapped around a cartoon Hermione Granger. In front of them was a baby in a cradle with a yellow lightning bolt scar on his/her forehead. Along the top, in gold paint were the words: Baby's First Christmas. In the same paint and script on the bottom was next year, 2012.

“I had the artist leave room here,” He pointed to the empty space in front of the year. “Once we know if we're having a boy or a girl, I can send it back to the bloke who made it to have him add Alice or John.” He explained.

“I love it,” She told him with a watery smile. “But not nearly as much as I love you.”

“I love you too, Hermione,” He cupped her cheek and coaxed her towards him. “Happy Christmas, love,” He kissed her softly.

Happy Christmas indeed.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kennedy House does not really exist and neither does any of the Kennedy family history that is stated in this chapter. Everything is made up. The only true part is that JFK and both of his sisters were in England at different times during WWII.
> 
> This is just a little filler chapter because I feel bad everyone has been waiting so long for an update. The next chapter will be much longer.

Before they knew it, it was the first week of January and the wedding preparations were in full swing. One hundred invitations had been sent out to the couple's closest family and friends. Hermione, with the help of Kate and an almost seven-month-pregnant Eden (who had flown in with Leland and the kids) they had found a designer to make the perfect wedding gown. The palace suits had arranged with the BBC for a live feed of the ceremony to be broadcast from the small church in the village by Balmoral.

Now, the two of them sat in the Queen's study for one final meeting before the wedding.

“Seeing as the two of you are set to give your engagement interview in the morning, I wanted to settle a few matters.” The Queen sat behind her desk and folded her hands atop the polished wood service. “First, I want to discuss where the two of you will be living after your marriage. The cottage isn't big enough for a growing family.”

“We will be needing something bigger if we plan on having more children.” Hermione agreed. The cottage only had two bedrooms.

“I was thinking of moving you to the suite of apartments next to William and Kate. There are six bedrooms and your father, Harry, has agreed to cover the cost of a renovation as a wedding present.”

Harry and Hermione turned to look at each other.

“The baby will be able to play with his or her cousins all the time,” Harry said.

“It's beyond generous,” Hermione replied.

They both agreed to the Queen's offer. And if they were surprised by Charles' gift, they were completely stunned when the Queen revealed what she and the Duke were giving them as a wedding present.

“Now, I know the two of you already have a home in Hawaii to use for holidays but Granddad and I thought that you might enjoy having a country home that you can use to retreat from the city.” She smiled. “Seeing as you two like Balmoral enough to marry there, we are giving you ownership of Kennedy House.”

This was one of the rare instances where Hermione knew what the Queen was talking about. Kennedy House was a seven-bedroom manor house located on the Queen's Balmoral property. When President John F. Kennedy's father, Joseph P. Kennedy was the Ambassador to the Court of St. James, the future president and his sisters, Rosemary and Kick would often stay at the house to escape the bombings of the London Blitz. After the young president had been assassinated, the Queen had the house named in his honor. It was a part of both British and American history...a very fitting gift to a couple like them.

Hermione was speechless so it was up to Harry to express their gratitude.

“Thank you, Granny,” He smiled as he over and took her hand.

The Queen nodded and gently smiled before once again turning serious.

“Now, on to the matter of titles...”

Wait...what? Hermione thought they had already settled this...


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to make the actual history of the abdication and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor as accurate as possible. I’ve done a lot of research but if anyone catches a mistake...please, feel free to point it out so I can correct it.

“Granny...I thought we settled the matter of titles already...” Harry voiced the confusion they both were feeling. “I’m going to remain, Prince Harry of Wales, until Uncle Andrew passes and then I’m to be the Duke of York.”

“Oh, you will still be the Duke of York.” The Queen nodded. “That title is, after all, your birthright.”

Hermione was confused. Was the Queen going senile in her old age?

“Until it is time for you to take the title, Duke of York, I was hoping you would consider the title, Duke of Windsor.” The Queen explained.

Hermione was floored and when she glanced at Harry, he too appeared to be in shock.

There had only ever been one Duke of Windsor - the former King Edward VIII, the Queen’s late uncle. The former Duke of Windsor - who was known as David to the family - had abdicated the throne after less than a year (and before he even celebrated his coronation) to marry a divorced American woman named Wallis Simpson. The Queen’s father, who was crowned King George VI when his brother stepped down, created the Dukedom of Windsor for David and forced him and Wallis to live abroad. The once close brothers would barely speak to each other after the abdication. After David showed sympathy to the Nazis and even friendship towards Adolf Hitler (David and Wallis were even photographed shaking hands and smiling with the Fuhrer in 1937) the brothers were never photographed together ever again. Even though she never came out and said it, the Queen thought that taking on a crown that was never meant for him is ultimately what forced her beloved father into an early grave and burdened her and children with the crown.

“Granny, I don’t understand...” Harry shook his head.

“I think it high time we remove the stain of controversy from the Dukedom of Windsor,” The Queen continued. “I’ve grown tired of those who think this family’s objections to Mrs. Simpson had anything to do with her being an American. What better way to prove people wrong than by giving the title, Duchess of Windsor, to Hermione? She’s an American who plans to play an active role in royal life. She will, of course, be allowed to use the prefix, Her Royal Highness.”

This was a change from the previous Duchess of Windsor. Wallis Simpson was NEVER allowed to use the prefix, Her Royal Highness...even though she still did when abroad...to the fury of the Royal Family.

“What titles would our children carry?” Harry questioned as he reached over and placed a hand on Hermione’s slightly swollen stomach.

“Prince or Princess of Windsor.”

Harry looked to her questioningly but she didn’t respond right away. She took a moment to really think about it. To only be the second Duchess of Windsor and the woman charged with changing the public perception of title from negative to positive was an honor. It was also a big responsibility.

Hermione didn’t care too much what title she carried - she was there for Harry, not to be some kind of Disney princess - but the thought of carving her name in history greatly appealed to her. As Duchess of Windsor, she could still spend her life doing good in the world but if she was lucky, history books would remember her for being more than President James’ daughter or Prince Harry’s wife.

“I think we should do it.” She finally answered Harry’s unasked question.

“You’re positive, love?” He asked. “This puts even more of a public spotlight on you. Are you sure you are up to it?”

Hermione reached over and took his hand in hers. “As long as I have you, I can do anything.”


	26. Chapter 26

The days leading up to the wedding passed in a whirlwind of activity.

First, there had been their wedding/engagement interview with a reporter from the BBC. All of the man’s questions had been very generic - and slightly sexist. Would she give up work after the wedding? How did Harry feel about her having an active role in royal life? Harry had been forced to pinch her to keep her from laughing when the reporter asked how long it would be before they started a family.

After the interview, they had gone to Buckingham Palace where they met with Harry’s private secretary in one of the ballrooms. The vast room was full of wedding gifts that had started pouring in from all over the world. Most of the gifts would be donated to charity but the couple was expected to certain gifts out of respect - such as, the steamer trunk full of antique Irish lace from the Kennedy family, an antique mirror from the President of France, and a painting of a goldfish pond by Winston Churchill that had been a gift from the Prime Minister. These gifts and a few others that they really liked and wished to keep were put on display for the public a week before the wedding as was royal tradition.

They had attended several rehearsals of the wedding ceremony in Balmoral, toured Kennedy House and their new apartments to make plans about the work that they wanted done. Hermione, Eden, and Kate attended at least five different dress fittings. Hermione’s belly seemed to be expanding a little bit more everyday. Her dress had to be let out three times. It was a good thing they were to be married soon because they weren’t going to be able to hide her condition for much longer.

Their honeymoon was going to be spent at their place in Hawaii. Harry and Hermione missed the time they had spent together there.

Hermione still wasn’t on speaking terms with either one of her parents. Both had publically made excuses for why they wouldn’t be attending the ceremony. She wasn’t letting it bother her anymore. It was her parents' loss. She had a family. She was happy. She had even found someone to walk her down the aisle and give her away. She had asked Leland and her brother-in-law seemed honored to do it.

Now, it was the day before the wedding. She had kissed Harry goodbye after a breakfast for their wedding party at Buckingham Palace. She wouldn’t see him again until they met the alter.

She sat on the royal train with Eden, Leland, and their kids as they made their way from London to Scotland where she would spend the night with her family at Kennedy House. Harry would be arriving in Scotland via helicopter and would be spending the night at the Queen’s Balmoral estate.

As the city landscape gave way to the country, a slow rain began to fall. Wasn’t rain before or during your wedding a good omen?

“You okay, Aunt Hermione?” Dakota got her attention from his seat across from her.

“Yeah, kiddo, I’m good.” Hermione smiled...and she really meant it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because this story fell behind in January, readers are getting a second chance to vote on if the baby should be a boy or a girl. So, last chance people - Will the baby be John or Alice?


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got my personal website up and running. On it, you can find all of my stories, plus things you can't find on here. I have a Coming Soon section - where you can learn about my upcoming stories before they are posted and subscribe to them. I've also included music tracks for all of my stories. I use music for inspiration so, I thought it would be cool to share the songs that inspired each story. Hope you all stop by for a visit. Mobile friendly! Link is at the bottom of the chapter.

The next morning, Hermione was a giant ball of nerves and emotions. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. She wasn't used to sleeping without Harry anymore. She had managed maybe three hours of sleep before she was being shaken awake by Eden and Kate at a little after five in the morning. She shared a light breakfast of fruit, toast, and juice with her equally pregnant sister and future sister-in-law before the hairdresser, a local woman that Kate trusted, arrived to do their hair. Hermione's was done first. Her dress was rather simple by royal standards so she didn't want anything fancy done with her blonde hair. She just had the hairdresser set it in simple curls with a few springs of Scottish bell heather added in.

After hair, it was time for makeup. Seeing as both Eden and Kate were both genies with makeup, Hermione hadn't bothered to hire a makeup artist. She had just sat back and let the masters work. In the end, she had made the right call. Eden and Kate had put on enough makeup to make her look good on the live television cameras but not enough to make her look like a clown in person. It was still way more makeup than she was used to wearing but at least they had given her the natural look that both she and Harry preferred.

It was 10:00 in the morning when she slipped into her vintage Oleg Cassini organza wedding dress. It was very traditional; white with a beaded bodice and lace sleeves. It flared out slight at the waist (the better the hide her baby bump) and had a simple lace veil...that she couldn't find anywhere.

“Oh, Granny took it a couple of days ago to have some alterations made,” Kate said with a secretive smile.

“Yeah,” Eden grabbed what looked like a purple, velvet hat box off of the small table next to the bed. “She had it sent back this morning.” She handed her the box.

Alterations? Curiously, Hermione set the box on the makeup vanity and opened the lid...and she nearly stopped breathing. Inside was a beautiful, rather pointy, diamond encrusted tiara that her veil was now attached to. There was an envelope printed with the Queen's initials sitting in the box beside the expensive diadem. With trembling hands, Hermione opened it.

_*** Hermione,_

_This tiara belonged to my grandmother, Queen Mary. She loaned it to me on my wedding day and now I loan it to you. The Queen Mary Fringe Tiara is yours to use for the duration of your life as a member of the family. I have the utmost faith that you will do this family and your countries (both the Commonwealth and America) very proud. Phillip and I wish you and Harry the same happiness that we have enjoyed these many years._

_Welcome to the family,_

_Granny ***_

Hermione had to take a few deep breaths so that she didn't cry and ruin Eden and Kate's makeup job. After she regained control of her emotions, she sat down in front of the vanity so Eden could help her carefully put on the tiara and veil.

As Eden was placing the final pins, Leland appeared in the room dressed in his suit. “It's time to go, Duchess.” He playfully winked at her.

 

**[MY WEBSITE](http://%20www.badwolf1988.wixsite.com/badwolf1988) **


	28. Chapter 28

As the Rolls Royce Phantom VI pulled up in front of _Crathie Kirk Church_ , Hermione's heart was in her throat and she was feeling a bit sick...and for the first time in weeks, it had nothing to do with the baby. She had been preparing for this day ever since she had arrived in the U.K. but now that it was actually upon her, she was freaking out.

While the public wasn't allowed on church property, a massive crowd had gathered on the roadside and were being held back by wooden barricades and members of the local police force. By the front door that she was about to walk through stood live streaming television cameras and she knew that more were inside, situated all around the small Church of Scotland parish. The driveway was littered with news vans and members of the international press.

All she could think in that panic stricken moment was... _Oh God, we should have eloped._

“You okay, boo?” Leland got her attention from where he was seated across from her in the car.

Hermione swallowed the large lump in her throat and nodded. “Yeah...I'm just nervous, that's all.”

“Understandable...everyone's nervous on their wedding day. I'd be worried about you if you weren't.” Her brother-in-law assured her.

“Really?” She asked as she nervously picked at her perfectly (thank you, Eden) manicured fingernails. She only had a few minutes before the ceremony started and she could hear the crowds on the roadside chanting her and Harry's names. That was NOT helping her nerves.

“Hell yeah, boo.” Leland laughed. “I guess Harry didn't tell you but the night I married your sister, I was such a nervous wreck that he had to give me a few shots of whiskey to calm down. I was convinced that Eden had come to her senses and was going to leave me standing at the altar.”

This got her to laugh. How could Leland have ever thought that? Eden adored him and, at the time of their wedding, she had just discovered that she was pregnant with his child and was in the process of adopting his other three children. “Are you telling me that right now, Harry's inside scared that I'm not going to show up?” She asked doubtfully.

“Oh, that man is terrified right now, and unlike me, he's dealing with the fear that you're going to stand him up on live TV,” Leland told her confidently as the church bells started to chime, telling them that it was eleven and time to get the show on the road.

As a footman opened the car door and Leland stepped out first, giving her a hand, she was feeling a little bit calmer. “Thanks for doing this, Leland.” She smiled at him as they reached the closed church doors.

“Hey, what are big brothers for?” He said as he offered her his elbow.

The church doors opened and as they started making their way up the aisle, she saw her groom. He was wearing his Blues and Royals officer's uniform and was looking straight ahead as was tradition. She saw William, his best man, leaning over so he could whisper to his brother what was happening behind him...much like Harry had done at William's wedding. Harry was rocking back and forth slightly on his feet, something Hermione knew to be an anxious tick. She smiled as she reached his side and Leland gave him her hand. Her brother-in-law had been right. He was just as nervous as she was.

 

 

_**[MY WEBSITE](https://badwolf1988.wixsite.com/badwolf1988) ** _


	29. Chapter 29

For the rest of her life, Hermione would never remember the details of the actual wedding ceremony. She couldn't remember saying her vows or where her family sat in the church. The only she would remember was that, due to tradition, they were not allowed to kiss after they said, “I will.” Harry had rectified this by pulling her in for a kiss, that left the poor minister looking scandalized when they stepped into his office to sign the marriage registry. After that, they had been driven through the crowds back to Balmoral. At the gates, they had been forced to get out of the car and pose for a few photographs and shake hands with people that had gathered to wish them well. A small lunch hosted by the Queen and Prince Phillip followed.

When they had finally been allowed to retreat to the privacy of Kennedy Housse, Hermione, who was closing in on four months pregnant, was pretty exhausted...she was also eager to be alone with hew new husband but...she was nervous. They hadn't been intimate in a few weeks, not since Christmas. There had been so much going on leading up to the wedding and for the last month of her first trimester, she had been so sick...they hadn't had time and she hadn't had the desire to make love. Since the last time Harry had seen her naked, her body had drastically changed. Her breasts had gone up a cup size, her hips were wider and, no matter how much Eden and Kate disagreed with her, she was convinced she now had a bubble butt. It seemed like overnight her baby bump had popped out. All of these sudden changes had left her with stretch marks on her hips and belly. What if Harry didn't like what he saw anymore?

She was standing in the bathroom attached to the master bedroom. She had just finished removing the tiara and flowers from her hair but she was hesitating to remove her wedding dress.

“You look beautiful, love.” Hermione jumped and turned to find Harry standing in the doorway with a sexy smirk on his face. “But, as beautiful as you are in that dress – and you are breathtaking – you are always way more beautiful when you're laying naked underneath me, moaning my name.” He advanced on her but he stopped cold when she took a step back. “What's wrong, Hermione?” The desire in his eyes was now replaced with concern.

“I don't....look...like I used to...” She cast her eyes down to the stone floor. “I've gotten...bigger.”

Harry took a step closer and used his hand to coax her chin up so she would look at him. “When we first got together and I was visiting D.C., what did you overhear me telling Leland that I imagined?” He asked her softly.

Immediately she knew what he was talking about and couldn't keep the warm smile off of her face at the memory. “You said you imagined me heavy with your child.” She whispered.

“Exactly,” He reached out and spun her around so he could unbutton her dress. “I've wanted to see you pregnant with my baby pretty much since they moment I met you.” He pushed the dress off to pool at her feet and laid a kiss on her now bare shoulder.

She wasn't wearing a bra so she now nervously stood in nothing but a pair of lacy blue panties (thank you, Eden), stockings, and garter belt.

Harry turned them so that her back was plastered to his uniform-clad chest as they faced the full-length bathroom mirror. Laying his chin on her shoulder, he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his hands on her belly. “Look at you, Mummy...you're exquisite.” He rubbed her bump gently. “This is proof of how much we love each other.” His hands moved to caress her hips. “These are just preparing to welcome our baby and are sexy as hell.” Finally, he trailed his hands up to cup her full (er) breasts. “And these,” He gave them a light squeeze. “are things of beauty. I'm a man, love...I'll never complain about them getting bigger.”

She laughed and he laid a kiss on her neck. “May I pretty please take my beautiful wife to bed and make love to her?” He gave her puppy dog eyes in the mirror.

Turning around and wrapping her arms around his neck, her only answer was to press her lips to his.

 

 

_**[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolfrose.com) ** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate to say it, folks but...there is only one more chapter after this...the epilogue. For those of you who enjoyed the story, it is coming back as an original LONGER story under my other S/N @chloesullivan1988. That is where all of my original stories will be hosted from now on. Keep an eye out for Collision of Worlds.


	30. Chapter 30

_ **July 1, 2012** _

Hermione smiled tiredly as she observed the odd mixture of people gathered in her private room at St Mary's Hospital in London.

There were Prince Charles and Camilla standing next to her tatted up sister and brother-in-law. All of the focused on the small blanket wrapped bundle they were gingerly passing back and forth and cooing at. The group had been larger but Kate and William had to rush home to care for newborn Prince George.

As much as Hermione loved her family, she had been in labor for over twenty-four hours – literally since June – and all she really wanted was time alone with her husband, who was seated beside her grinning like an idiot, and their son. That's right, son. John William Leland Henry had been born two hours earlier, at exactly seven in the evening. He had a light dusting of blond hair and, whenever he opened his tired little eyes, his daddy's baby blues stared back at you. He was perfect.

“Visiting hours are over.” Eden broke her out of her thoughts as she laid little John back in his mother's arms. “And I need to get back to your place to check on the kids.” Given that her oldest two children were out of school for the summer, Eden had flown in from Hawaii with Leland and their now four children for baby watch. Baby Axl had been born two months earlier.

“Good job, Duchess.” Leland leaned down and kissed her forehead.

After a round of hugs, Charles and Camilla left with Eden and Leland. Her small family was finally alone.

Harry moved to sit on the bed beside her with his arm around her shoulders while she cradled their son. “Do you realize what today is, love?” He asked quietly as John's eyes started to droop.

“You mom's birthday.” She leaned her head back against his arm.

“She'd adore him.” He gently ran his finger along John's baby soft cheek. “She'd think of him as the best birthday present ever.” There was a touch of sadness in his voice.

“She still does think that, honey.” She comforted him. “I have no doubt that she was here today. The dead we loved never truly leave us.” It was the one (slightly paraphrased) quote that she had always remembered from the  _Harry Potter_  books. It seemed fitting in that moment.

“I love you.” Was the reply she got, along with a quick kiss.

“I love you too,” She smiled as John cuddled into her chest. “You think the public is going to be upset that he was born on your mom's birthday and he's not a girl named Diana?”

“Probably,” Harry chuckled. “But who cares? I think going against what everyone else wants has worked out well for us thus far, don't you?” He looked pointedly at John.

He was right of course. They had gone against her family's wishes to be together. They had gone against royal tradition by getting engaged without permission. They had gone against both of their Christian upbringings to conceive John out of wedlock. Still, they had ended up with their own version of happily ever after.

“Absolutely.” She smiled as he kissed her again.

 

_**FINIS** _

 

_**[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolfrose.com) ** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read and left kudos on this story. It means a lot. 
> 
> A big thank you to the following reviewers:
> 
> @Pt14ever419  
> @Chiari_girl  
> @NicktheDiva  
> @ClementineButtersnaps  
> @aeh2  
> @Christlove88 (my awesome beta who will probably have to go through and correct this story at some point lol)


	31. Chapter 31

If you would like to read the original rewrite of this story, _Collision of Worlds_ , you can do so by **[CLICKING HERE](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12910473/chapters/29495799)** All of my original stories are posted under that screenname.

 

**Collision of Worlds Summary:**

_She was the uniquely monikered daughter of the President of the United States. He was the unfortunately named Prince of Spain. She was a Baptist. His family were strict Catholics._

_Thrown together by duty and politics, this romance can't have a happy ending, can it?_

 

 

_ **[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolfrose.com) ** _


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